The Ouroboros Sign
by Raven Sforz
Summary: EdxEnvy, Pride!Ed, post manga.  The Homunculi are revived, and must face the consequences of defying Father. Ed truly wants to help Envy. But what can he do now that his powers are gone?
1. On the run

**Author's Note: **This fic takes place right after the ending of the manga/second anime. Since I haven't finished reading the manga/watching the second anime, some facts are bound to be inaccurate and off-canon. I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor the fan-game Bluebird's Illusion, from which the concept of Pride!Ed was taken. Also, the Wrath in this fic was taken from the first anime, not the manga/second anime. On a side note, this isn't my best work ever, but I'm having tons of fun with it and I hope to continue to the very end!

**Warnings: **Yaoi of the EnvyxEd kind. Rating to be safe.

* * *

**The Ouroboros Sign**

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 1 _–_ _On the run_

When Envy came to, he was lying face-first on something hard and cold. His entire body hurt, each of his artificially created cells screaming in unbearable agony. His chest felt as if it had been pierced by a million thick needles, and his left thigh ached sharply. Distant voices reached him, screaming voices, desperate-sounding and hysterical, but his brain kept switching off and on and he couldn't quite recognize the sounds; the only thought that remained, the only question keeping him awake was _why the hell was he awake anyway? _He was supposed to be dead. Killed himself. Saved his own Homunculus equivalent of a soul from the pain by finishing himself off. So why could he still feel? Why was he _alive_?

So many things he wanted to ask. He raised his head weakly, feeling ashamed at the effort it took to carry out such a simple, mechanical task as looking around. With his blurry vision, he could make out a dim lit chamber and black figures shifting before him in a strange, incomprehensible dance. Was it the Gate? He tried to call out to the shadows, but the only thing he managed to emit was a weak whimper.

The screams kept coming, clearer now. Envy blinked, his eyesight clearing a little as well.

"_Father, please, stop this!"_

"_We won't go through this again, old man! Fuck you!"_

"_Greed, please, watch your mouth…"_

"_No, Lust, let him talk. I really want to hear this… Oh, look, your little brother seems to be awake."_

"…_Envy?"_

"_Envy! ENVY!"_

Envy flinched in recognition to his name being called out. He blinked again, frowning, and everything suddenly became clear. They were in Father's lair; he was lying on the stone floor, a few meters away from Father's throne, where the blond man sat watching them impassively, his chin resting on one hand with a bored air. Lust was kneeling in front of him, a hand on her chest and tears – _tears? _– trickling down her beautiful face. Gluttony stood behind her, protectively, hands on her shoulders, while beside them, the ever-calm Sloth held back a rampaging Greed, who squirmed and screamed, half for the bigger Homunculus to let him go, and half for Father to 'go fuck himself and then die'. Behind Sloth, clinging to his black clothes, was a small child with long, messy black hair, whom Envy had never seen before, but instantly recognized as another Homunculus.

As though his fellow Homunculi had transmitted him the thought via some bizarre intra-species connection, Envy automatically knew what was happening, and in his indignation he tried to get up and failed miserably, collapsing back to the floor with a yelp at the pain that shot through his chest. A small scream was heard – Lust, obviously – and heavy footsteps ran towards him. There was a commotion, and then another pair of feet was running towards him too, much faster, and a well-known voice was calling:

"Envy! Are you okay?"

Chubby fingers ran through Envy's long greenish-black hair in a sort of comforting way, and Envy looked up to find Gluttony standing over him, caressing his hair clumsily. Greed tripped over his own feet and fell to his knees beside Envy's head, looking down at him with horrified disbelief.

"He's alive" the taller, short-haired Homunculus whispered, grazing Envy's cheek with his fingers before turning to Father again, rage tightening his usually cheerfully mischievous features. "Damn you, you bastard! How can you do this to him after what he's been through?"

"Because of his failure and his weakness, he was destroyed. Now I shall give him a chance to redeem himself" the most powerful Homunculus explained calmly. "He shall be the one to bring Edward Elric to me."

"NO!"

Everything happened so fast, that Envy felt nauseous, and he had to look away as Lust's back hit the ground, hard. She had launched herself at Father, crimson claws glistening in the pale lights of the chamber, and Father had thrown her back forcefully with an alchemic blast.

"LUST!" Gluttony's scream was akin to the cry of a wounded animal, and when Envy dared to look up again, the chubby Homunculus was gathering the body of his fallen partner in his arms, weeping softly. Lust was, at least, unconscious. Envy tried hard not to think anything else of it, because something in him, something he couldn't quite place, _didn't want her to die._ Something in him wanted them all to be able to leave that place, where he felt so insecure and vulnerable.

Something in him made him _scream out _when he saw the small Homunculus he couldn't recognize crawling up to Father, pleading:

"Please, Mr. Father, we don't want to fight…"

Father raised a hand, and Envy screamed again, his scream mixing with Greed's as he called out to the child:

"WRATH!"

"DON'T…!"

But before anyone could move, Sloth, being by some miraculous contradiction the fastest out of all the Homunculi, snatched the kid into his arms and held him protectively against his chest, glaring daggers at Father, who simply lowered his hand and resumed his bored observation. Wrath, the little child who looked nothing like the Wrath Envy had known, clung to Sloth in fear of something he hadn't experienced, but that Envy's and Greed's screams had warned him about.

"We're leaving" Greed said, eyes narrowing behind his small glasses, as he stood up and held out a hand to Envy. The long-haired Homunculus took it, feeling a strange electricity coming from the touch, some kind of energy being transmitted into him and giving him the strength to get up and stand wobblingly beside his 'brother'; yes, that sounded about right. Brother. His hand didn't release Greed's as he nodded his agreement. Father stared at them as if they were incredibly uninteresting insects.

"And where, pray tell, do you plan to go?" the man asked, and it almost sounded curious and not contemptuous. Prides hurt, both Greed and Envy clenched their fists, their entwined hands tightening around each other's. Envy would've committed suicide again before admitting it, but the grip of his brother's hand gave him reassurance, and he had the feeling Greed felt the same.

"Anywhere!" Greed replied then, and Envy smirked evilly.

"Anywhere is better than here. We could go to the Fullmetal Shorty, even. He'd be a better master than you any day of the week!"

Envy didn't know why he thought of Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, at that moment. He just did and that was enough for him to blurt out the offending comment without thinking. Father's fists clenched in anger, but when he made to stand up, Gluttony got up as well, the unconscious Lust lying on the ground before him.

"You won't hurt Envy and Greed!" he roared, and Envy felt a wave of gratitude towards the fat gluttonous Homunculus. He guessed that was what it felt like to be protected. He guessed that was _what real fathers did_, as opposed to putting their sons through pain and desperation. They protected. They helped. They only wanted what was best for their children.

Father wasn't like that at all.

And that angered him.

"We're Homunculi!" Greed laughed then, as if he had just realized it. Over Sloth's huge shoulder, Wrath looked at him curiously and muttered a confused "What's an Homunculi?", but Envy quickly picked up what Greed was trying to say, and chuckled softly.

"Yeah, that's right. We can do anything and go anywhere. And nobody can stop us!"

Lust groaned and sat up suddenly, and Sloth quickly swept her up with his free arm. In case he had to flee, he would carry the most vulnerable of them; Lust and Wrath. Envy read his intention before the huge Homunculi needed to voice it, and he glanced at Greed, who nodded very lightly. Gluttony tensed; if they had to run away, he could easily open holes in the walls through which they could escape. But it would have to be fast. Sloth silently made Wrath crawl onto his shoulders, so he had a free hand to drag Gluttony along with. All this was decided in a second, as if all the Homunculi were only one brain, and Envy once again felt that strange but warming sensation that they had all _changed_, they were standing up for each other and working together like they should've always done.

"You can try whatever your little minds are planning" Father said then, sounding authoritative, not quite daring them to try, but clearly not discouraging them. "You can even leave if you want. I will just create more of you, stronger, more powerful Homunculi. You are nothing but tools I can create and destroy and replace as I please."

"We're not your pawns!" Greed yelled, but Envy wasn't paying attention anymore. His eyes were boring holes into the back of Gluttony's bald head, praying that he would just swallow part of the wall so they could run away. The tension in the air was thick, and he was about to lose his temper.

"You can try to escape" Father said. "I have no use for disloyal dogs."

And suddenly the tension was released. Envy felt his fellow Homunculi's relief as strong as his own. So Father would let them go? Just like that?

No. He became tense again, and beside him, Greed growled. Father wouldn't. There had to be a punch line, a 'but', a condition of sorts. A threat.

"However…"

There it came. Father rose from his seat, and Sloth stepped back, Lust clinging to his chest while Wrath hugged his neck with both legs, tightly enough to choke a human. Gluttony moved closer to the wall.

"Dogs that bite the hand of their owners have to be put to sleep."

Red lightning cracked around the Homunculi, and Envy looked around, startled. Only then did he realize they were standing in the middle of a huge transmutation circle carved into the floor. Father had considered the chance that they might rebel, and he was about to destroy them. The circle on the ground started to glow, and Envy yelped.

"Gluttony! Now!"

A roar was heard, and suddenly Sloth was running, fast, grabbing Gluttony on the way and dragging him out through the hole that had just been opened into the wall. The whole structure started cracking, and Envy tried to run too, but for some reason, he found himself stuck to the ground. His body was starting to burn again, and he could feel a rhythmic pulsing inside him; almost like heartbeat, but not quite. It was the Philosopher's Stone. Father was decomposing his body to get the Stone back.

_Well, at least Sloth and the others got away. I just hope Greed manages to escape as well._

What was with those thoughts?

"ENVY!"

And suddenly, he was pushed out of the circle and thrown to the ground, hard. Everything around him was shaking. His head hit the wall and stars danced in front of his eyes, but before he could recover, he was grabbed by the arm and pulled across the hole in the wall and into the smelly sewers. He tripped and fell into the muddy green water, and that woke him up from his trance. He grabbed the hand Greed offered him and got up, following the taller Homunculus as they ran blindly across the maze that were the sewers below Central. Strange grumbling noises came from different sections of the infrastructure as they hurried along the shady tunnels. The stone nestled securely inside his chest still pulsated, softly, like the quickened heartbeat of a scared child.

"Can you feel it?" Greed whispered suddenly, stopping, and Envy turned to look at him, unnerved. They had to keep moving forward! What if there was something chasing after them, something probably – most likely – deadly?

"No" he replied sharply, narrowing his eyes. "Let's go, c'mon."

"Wait" Greed frowned, "wait, I'm locating her…"

"Who?" Envy heard another growl behind them, and he lost the little patience he had. His hand reached for Greed's. "Greed, please! Let's go!"

Greed shook his head, and started running again, pulling Envy along with him. The younger-looking Homunculus followed, nervously glancing over his shoulder as he heard a roar and heavy footsteps behind them.

"Don't be scared" Greed reassured him with a smile, and Envy didn't feel it was necessary to reply that he wasn't scared. As they rounded yet another corner, an especially dark one, Greed ran head-first into Sloth's huge back, and he fell back on his butt at Envy's feet. The nervous long-haired Homunculus couldn't help but laugh at this. Sloth turned slowly, and Lust chuckled as she walked around the huge Homunculus to help Greed up.

"You silly boy" she shook her head and dusted off Greed's shoulder gently, fixing his vest after that. "And you, Envy, you look terrible. Did you fall into the water?"

"Yeah" Envy growled, looking away somewhat embarrassedly. He could've told her he had been shocked because his life source had almost been taken from his chest, but he didn't feel like making the strangely maternal Lust worry anymore than she, evidently, already was. "Yucky. Anyway, we can't stay here, guys" he looked at Lust in the eyes, and the pretty black-haired pale woman nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know. We've been looking for the exit, but we haven't found it."

"Let's make one, then."

"And then what, Envy?"

Both Homunculi stared at each other intensely, a silent dialogue going on between them. Envy knew she was right; they had nowhere to go after that. The military hated them, obviously; he didn't know how long it had been since the last of them had fallen, but it couldn't have been too long, could it? And there were probably chimaeras roaming around the sewers, and there was the threat of more Homunculi coming after them still hanging over their heads. And there was the offspring of Hoenheim, who probably wanted them gone again… There his thoughts went, back to Edward Elric again. Probably because the blond Alchemist was the last thing he had seen before dying? Probably because of what had been said between them before he made that final decision? Probably because of that feeling he had that the Fullmetal Alchemist had truly _understood_?

"Then… I don't know, Lust. But let's just get outta here. The wetness is ruining my hair."

"Chimera" said Gluttony suddenly, and everyone turned to look at what the chubby Homunculus was pointing at. In the darkness of the tunnel, a few meters away from them, a pair of red eyes glowed evilly.

Wrath tugged gently on Envy's hand.

"Big brother" the little boy whispered, and Envy snapped out of his horror to look down at the other Homunculus. He did look like a younger brother to himself… Damn. More thoughts about Fullmetal.

"Yeah?" he asked, taking a step back as a growl came from the shadows. Wrath looked around, confused, before turning his violet eyes back to his 'elder brother'.

"What's a chimera?"

The beast roared and lunged forward, leonine head thrashing around wildly while a reptile-like body crawled towards them, tail wagging madly. Wrath screamed as he tripped and fell backwards into the nasty-smelling water.

"That answer your fucking question?" Envy yelled at him for no particular reason – or maybe it was because his chilling scream had startled him in turn, even more than the beast that was now advancing on them. The Homunculi retreated, Gluttony shielding Wrath, who was too scared to move from his spot in the muddy water, with his big round body.

"You won't hurt Wrath!" he cried out, as if the chimera could understand. The half-lion, half-crocodile roared, opening its mouth to show sable-shaped deadly-sharp fangs.

"Gluttony!" Lust called, and Envy looked around, droplets of green water flying around as his hair moved with him.

"Gluttony, make a hole in the wall! Lust, Greed, distract the thing! Sloth, get ready to run at my signal!"

Nobody questioned Envy's commanding tone save for Wrath, who glared at his 'older brother' and squeaked:

"And what about me, _nii-chan_?"

Envy's right eye twitched at the nickname, but he let it pass in favor of carrying out the plan he had just improvised. He wasn't even sure if he could do what he was thinking of doing, but hell it was worth a try because that chimera was huge, and their regeneration processes were still lazy from their rebirth.

"Wrath… You go and hide in the hole."

"What?" the boy raged, but Envy's plot was in action. The beast swung its big golden head around, alternatively trying to take a bite – a rather large bite, larger than Sloth even – out of Lust or Greed, who were punching and clawing at its green, short reptilian legs and its white, soft-looking belly.

"C'mon, you big asshole, come for me!" Greed ran around the beast and tugged at its tail with surprising strength. The hybrid roared, ignoring Lust's crimson claws digging into its neck to try and reach the annoying short-haired, sunglasses-wearing Homunculus, whom in turn wriggled his fingers, smirking. "Wanna' piece of this, baby?"

When the beast turned around – with some difficulty, considering its size and that of the tunnel they were in – Envy took his chance and gracefully jumped onto the chimera's back, running up the length of its twisting body while effectively and swiftly dodging the dangerous swipes from its tail. Lust stared in fear, claws ready to aid the other two, but Gluttony grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into the hole before she could even react.

"G-Gluttony! Let me go!"

"_Shh_, Lust, don't make noise!"

"Will _nii-chan _and Greed be okay?"

"I think they will" Gluttony nodded, putting a chubby finger to his lips, thoughtfully. "They look stronger than they did before, right, Lust?"

Lust, who had finally resigned herself to her passive role in the fight, stuck a stray lock of black hair behind her ear and 'hm'ed in agreement. Something about all of them had changed, and she could clearly see what it was: now they worked as a team. They cared about each other, like some sort of _family_. And there was more to it; she knew there was a reason why Envy and Greed had become stronger, why Wrath was a little child now, and why there was _no Pride amongst them_. They were missing a Sin and that was meaningful. Very much so.

_I guess we're not very proud now that we're hiding in the sewers and fighting a fucking cat lizard._

"Watch out!"

Greed jumped back just in time to avoid the swipe of sharp claws that didn't quite belong to the tiny-looking legs of a crocodile, and Envy clung to the chimera's golden mane with one hand, throwing his other arm back as a white light engulfed it. A second later, a big black snake was coming out of his shoulder. It hissed and twisted around, and Envy held on to the beast tight. Just as it was about to lunge at Greed again, Envy leaned forward with a vicious cackle, and the snake drove its fangs into the chimera's neck, right where the fur morphed into dark green scales.

The beast half-roared and half-cried out in excruciating pain, its tail whipping around desperately, trying to knock Envy off and missing miserably. The snake bit harder, more venom being transferred into the chimera's body as thick black blood poured out in some kind of gruesome parody of an equivalent exchange. _Give me your blood and I'll give you my venom to refill your veins._

"Sloth!" Envy screamed then, pulling his arm away and morphing it back to a normal, human-looking limb. "Grab its attention, make it run!"

Sloth, who was slumped back against a wall, slacking off as usual, let out an annoyed groan, but got up nonetheless, using his huge hands to splash muddy water at the monster's back. Envy squeaked at his fellow Homunculus' method.

"Careful, you idiot! If any of that gets on me, I swear—AH!"

The beast squirmed, turning around suddenly, and Envy lost his balance and fell off its back. However, before he hit the ground – or worse, the horribly putrid water – Greed caught him in his arms with ease. Together, they watched as the beast ran off, chasing after Sloth – it couldn't know it hadn't been the big, fast Homunculus who had bitten into his neck, but Envy. Greed put his brother down carefully, making a small disgusted sound as some of the slime dripping from the smaller Homunculus' hair stuck to his vest.

"You should think about morphing into something bald if you're not gonna take care of that hair."

"Just… Shut up" Envy groaned. "Well, that should do it. Just hope Sloth realizes he has to come back once the chimera is dead."

"Hum… How exactly is it gonna die?"

Envy gave his brother a bored look over his shoulder, hands on his slim, feminine hips.

"Are you seriously asking me that? I poisoned it. And it's running around, so the venom with work faster. It'll fall within minutes. Really, Greed, I gave you too much credit…"

"Just because you beat around the bush too much…"

"What, you thought we could punch the thing to death?"

"C'mon, Envy. A snake? Couldn't you be anymore clichéd?"

"Now what is that supposed to mean?"

"Envy!Greed!" Wrath crawled out of the hole then, running up to them with a huge childish grin on his face. "That was so cool! I saw it all! How'd you do that, _nii-chan_?"

"Like I'd tell you" Envy growled, crossing his arms defensively and looking away, trying to hide the fact that he rather liked the feeling of being looked up to. "And don't call me that. I'm Envy."

"…Envy-chan?"

"Ugh, no! Just… Stick with the other one!"

Sloth came back minutes later, scratching its head and yawning loudly.

"How tiresome" he complained, cracking his back lazily. "So… We gonna spent the night here? I could use some rest…"

"I'm not gonna stay in this smelly sewer any longer" Lust interjected, and with a sad glance at his beautiful long hair, Envy nodded his approval. Gluttony nodded too, and then fidgeted guiltily when Sloth and Greed glared at him.

"Gluttony, you're a traitor."

"You siding with the girls now?"

"HEY!"

"Truth hurts, Envy, get over it."

"Greed, leave your brother alone."

"Yes, _mom_."

"Aww" Wrath whimpered then, tugging on Lust's hand to grab her attention. "I wanted to stay here. I wanted to see another chimera."

Seconds later, by common agreement – save for Wrath, who looked as though he were a child who had just been told Santa Claus wasn't real – they were looking for a quick exit from the sewers.

The air outside was cold, and even Envy shivered a bit as Sloth helped him up. The street was dim lit and deserted, thick fog floating around them, blurring the lines of the tall buildings surrounding them. Wrath clutched Lust's dress, whimpering in fear at the dark shadows dancing on the walls, and the female Homunculus patted his head, although her eyes were wary as well. That was, until Gluttony put a chubby but strong arm around her waist, and Envy could've sworn she blushed and gave the fat Homunculus a thankful look. Greed crossed his arms, looking around with narrowed eyes.

"Where to, Env'?"

"Am I supposed to know?" Envy spat back, his mood as dark and stormy as the sky above. Even though they were immortal beings resistant to cold and pain, it didn't mean they couldn't feel anything, and right then Envy was _cold_. He hugged himself, cursing his wet hair that was brushing his bare back and making him shiver. "I… I seriously don't know."

"We can't stay here" Lust sighed. "This is Central we're talking about. The military HQs are here, it's too dangerous."

"I know…" Envy looked down. "I just… Don't know."

Envy seemed to be troubled, and Sloth patted his back gently, while Greed tried his best to smile at his brother.

"Aw, don't worry, snakey, we'll sort it out eventually! For now, let's just hide somewhere before sun rises, mh?" and just as he said this, somewhere a bell tolled, signaling it was two in the morning. Envy let out a small sigh and started walking, hands on his hips.

"Well, whatever. Let's move it. This place smells worse than the sewers."

Nobody questioned Envy as they followed him in what seemed an aimless roam around the streets of Central. The young-looking Homunculus was as lost as the rest of them were, but he was the only one who had dared take the lead, and since the Homunculi had never been leaderless before, they followed with silent relief. The misbalance between them, the increase in Envy's powers, was more evident than ever. They sure had changed a lot since their last _death_.

Heavy rain had started falling, a thick curtain of water all around them, when the headlights of a vehicle suddenly fell on them. _A military vehicle_, Envy's instinct told him even before the black car became visible. He took a step back, cursing under his breath.

"Fuck dammit."

"What do we do?" Greed muttered as they retreated more into the shadows, and Envy frowned, looking around with narrowed purple eyes.

"Let's split up. Hide in the alleyways or something. Go!"

The car screeched to a stop, and two young officers got out, shielding their faces from the rain with their arms. One was a man of around twenty; the other was a tough-looking woman. They looked around a few times, squinting their eyes to try and see beyond the circle of light the car's headlights provided.

"There's nothing here" the woman grumbled, and the man scratched his cheek in confusion.

"But… I could've sworn… I saw…"

"Let's go, we're wasting our time" the woman cut him off, clicking her tongue. "We're gonna be late for our night shift, and you know how Fürher Mustang gets sometimes…"

Envy ran. He ran back the way he had come, as fast as he could, morphing his body every time he turned around a corner to make himself more difficult to follow. He could feel the pulse of the other Homunculi's Philosopher stones in his head, like trackers on a mental map. Lust and Gluttony were together – _no surprise, they're always together, maybe more together than any of us think_. Greed had taken Wrath – _let's see how you like playing babysitter now, greedy asshole_. And Sloth was sitting in a well-hidden interior alleyway – _slacking off and doing nothing, how strange of him. _Envy didn't think he was being followed, and he didn't know whether the Military had been alerted about their apparition, but one could never be too sure. And he still remembered Roy Mustang.

The rain was still falling hard when Envy finally stopped, leaning against the brick wall of a small, nice two-story house as he caught his breath – he wasn't really tired, but the rush of adrenaline had the same effect. He was morphed into a teenage girl with shoulder-long, wavy black hair, milky skin and green eyes, wearing a plain, short black dress. His hair was dripping wet and he was shivering with cold.

"Dammit" he muttered, hugging himself as he glanced around, "why do I always have to take the shape of underdressed human females?"

He glanced at the window on the wall beside him with envious longing. He was jealous of whomever lived in that house. By then they were probably nestled comfortably in their beds, with covers and fluffy pillows, sleeping deep and peacefully. Homunculi didn't need sleep, but Envy would've appreciated the warmth and the security of a home, even if he didn't want to admit it. He knew that, at some point in time, he had felt Father's lair was like a home to him. But that was over, he had left for good along with the other Homunculi, and there was no turning back. He could've said yes, though, he could've obeyed Father, killed his fellow Homunculi and brought the Fullmetal idiot back to his creator… But what for? What was in it for him? What good would it do him to bring the only person that had ever sympathized with him to their fatal destiny as Philosopher's stone material?

_I'd still have a home._

_So what? Now I'm free._

Footsteps suddenly echoed across the empty street. A small figure was walking down the sidewalk, humming softly in a voice that rang bells in Envy's brain. The Homunculus gasped and started freaking out, until he remembered he was an innocent – yet rather large-breasted – young girl now, and he had nothing to worry about. He coughed softly, trying to appear casual and pass unnoticed at the same time, and the figure stopped for a few seconds before hurrying up to him, walking into the light from a lone streetlight. Envy looked up, and his purple-turned-green eyes widened.

Blue military uniform, fitting the rather short, but muscular body perfectly.

Golden hair, tied back in a tidy braid, a fringe falling over a young-looking face.

Golden eyes, deep, swirling with emotions, lit up by a kindness that few people possessed.

Envy couldn't look away.

It was Edward Elric.

"Excuse me, miss" the blonde said, approaching Envy, who felt insulted for a second – before he remembered, once again, that he was a girl for the time being. He tried to smile innocently.

"Hello, sir" he said, in a falsely sweet, feminine voice. Edward smiled too, a little sheepishly, as he approached her.

"What are you doing out here in the rain?" he said, with a little unease. Envy didn't know what it was until he noticed Edward's eyes didn't stay glued to his – they kept switching to a little below his face. A lot below his face. The little pervert was checking him out! Well, he knew he was attractive in this form – hell, he was always attractive – but still! He cleared his throat, and Edward looked up again, blushing a delicious red color. Envy smirked inwardly, while outside, he put on a depressed façade – though a part of him, the part that was still anxiously tracking the signals in his mind, making sure they were still five, wasn't sure it was a façade anymore.

"I had nowhere to go…" he whispered in his girly voice, sounding more sincere than he would've wanted. He had no need to lie, but damn he wished it had been a lie, what was leaving his mouth at that moment. Edward seemed to hesitate a bit, golden eyes shifting around wildly, before coming back to Envy's.

"You're… On your own?" Edward's tone was distrustful, but Envy could see his gaze softening. Such a kind heart… He nodded, looking down and hugging himself, trying to suppress the thought that maybe he wasn't acting – of course he was acting! Envy never showed weakness in front of the enemy!

Edward blinked, any trace of suspicion leaving his face, and he offered Envy a hand, smiling a little shyly.

"Hum… You can come in… I mean, if you want to."

Envy nodded, gripping the warm, gloved hand that was being offered to him. However, as Edward pulled him towards the house – the same house whose wall Envy had been resting against – a thought occurred to the Homunculus that made him smirk. Nothing wrong with a little mischief, right? And besides…

Besides, if there was someone he felt he could tell about their predicament, it was the Fullmetal Alchemist.

As Edward took out his key and unlocked the door, Envy walked up behind him and pressed his body up against his back, grinning when the boy tensed, shoulders shivering, and the key fell to the wet floor with a soft clink.

"Thank you" Envy purred in Edward's ear, his voice shifting to its normal pitch as he added, evilly: _"O'chibi-san."_


	2. Alphonse's wake up call

**EDIT: Reposted because of trouble with ID. Please, people, let me know if it's fixed, yeah? ~ Thanks for your help! xoxo**

**Author's Note: **I had trouble when I first started writing this story. Then I kinda got the hang of it. I've written up to chapter seven now, but I was being too lazy to post it. When I finally did, I uploaded the seven complete chapters, thinking of posting one per week or something like that; I thought of uploading whenever I got reviews, if I ever got any at all. I never expected to find THREE REVIEWS barely 24 hours after the first chapter was up!

And so, those three sweethearts who fed the starving artist broke my resolve. Enjoy the result.

**Warnings: **lameness. Is that even a word? Oh, and yaoi. But you must already know that, ne? ~

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**The Ouroboros Sign**

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 2 – _Alphonse's wake-up call_

"…E-Envy?"

Edward had been gawking at him like a fish out of water – although, with the heavy rain, that sounded rather inaccurate – for a good three minutes. Or even more, Envy couldn't be sure, but it had been long. Too long for something as easy as recognizing someone _most unforgettable_. The Homunculus-turned-girl smirked in his trademark evil way and tilted his head to the side.

"Long time no see, Fullmetal Shorty."

"Envy."

Envy blinked, looking up at the blonde – it wasn't that the alchemist was much taller that he had last seen him, although he _had_ in fact grown up a bit; it was just that, in this form, Envy was almost a whole head shorter than Edward. That didn't bother him, though, because the blonde was still shorter than the Homunculus' true form. Edward leaned back against the door, sighing softly, deep golden eyes narrowing.

"Envy" he repeated, and Envy's temper peaked.

"The heck is wrong with you, pipsqueak? Is that all you can say?"

"No" Edward blinked, shook his head a bit, and then smiled, somewhat fondly. "No, it's just… You're alive."

"I'm not" Envy crossed his arms, and then uncrossed them immediately. He couldn't do it normally, his cleavage got in the way. How did Lust do it again? _Ah, whatever_, he thought, resting his hands on his feminine, round hips. "I'm a Homunculus."

"Okay, okay" Edward rolled his eyes, but he didn't seem annoyed. "You're back, then. I'm… Kinda happy to see you."

"Why would you?" Envy snorted, hating the hopeful little part of him that perked its ears and wagged its tail at the implication. The event just before his death had warped Envy's conception of Edward, and he felt a renewed respect – would he dare call it _affection_? – towards the only human who had ever tried to understand, to walk a mile in his shoes, to sympathize with the pain he endured. He hated to admit it, but it was undeniable that the Fullmetal kid was something special.

Special to Envy, at least.

"Dunno" Edward shrugged. "I guess I pit—eh, I mean…" had he been about to say _pity_? Envy snarled inwardly. Damn little brat! "I guess I _understood_ you, and… I don't know, I was sad to see you die like that, I suppose" the blonde smiled sadly. "I've seen too much death, I guess… But it hasn't been like that for a while, though."

"How long…?"

"Almost two years" Edward's eyes were somewhat longing as they stared into Envy's green ones. The Homunculus gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Meh. It's like hours for a guy like me."

"It sounds so strange coming from that body" Edward pointed out with an amused tone. Envy snickered a bit.

"Freaking people out is always fun. You should try it out, O'chibi-san."

"…By the way" Edward's expression suddenly became thoughtful, suspicious, that pouty little frown that he always got when he found something seemingly out of place. "What's up? Why are you acting all civil towards me now? _Why are you even here_, in the first place?"

Envy hesitated. The most instinctive part of his mind still connected the words _Fullmetal Alchemist_ and _enemy_, and one of the characteristics of an enemy was someone you _didn't hand information over to_. But that part of him that had suffered a drastic change also associated the words _Ed_ and _sympathy_, and sympathy was good – a little humiliating, maybe, and it was worse when it came from who had once been _enemy_, but it was the closest to _care_ he'd ever gotten, so the solution was pretty obvious: Edward was someone he could trust. And when you trust someone, you tell them things.

"I'll tell you" he concluded, trying to make it sound as if he had no other choice than to spill the beans. "But only if you let me in, because I'm freezing out here."

Edward blinked, looked around, and then up; a raindrop fell into his eye, and suddenly he realized they were still standing outside, under the rain, and while he was wearing a warm military jacket and boots, Envy was barefoot and had nothing on but that thin, small, _revealing_ black dress. Smiling apologetically, the blonde opened the door and let Envy in with a somewhat chivalrous gesture; Envy felt he could blush at that, and snarling an annoyed "I'm not a girl, you prick!", he walked in, morphing into his real form as soon as he heard the door close. Edward took off his jacket and threw it aside – and something told Envy he'd be scolded for that later.

"Please, don't make too much noise" Edward instructed as he disappeared into the kitchen, headed towards the laundry room. "Al's sleeping upstairs, I don't wanna wake him up."

"Why are you coming back home at almost three in the morning, anyway?" Envy asked, sitting on a cream-colored couch in front of a nice fireplace, crossing his left leg over the right one. He could feel the dark vibes coming off from wherever Edward had gone, and the muffled, incoherent grumble:

"Mustang… Bastard… Made me work late… Stupid asshole… Made me walk in the rain…"

"Your brother must've been delighted."

Soft footsteps came towards him, and suddenly something fluffy and white fell on his head. Envy grabbed the towel and threw it over his own shoulders, wrapping himself in it. Edward plopped down next to him, shirtless, and started drying his long blond hair with a baby blue towel. He then put it aside and kneeled in front of the fireplace. Envy leaned against the arm of the couch, resting his head in his hand, watching as Edward worked to light a small fire. His hair was down, silky golden tresses cascading over his shoulders – both flesh and bone now - and back. Envy smirked a bit as Edward sat next to him again, a nice fire cracking in the fireplace.

"You know, you look better with your hair like that, O'chibi-san. You should consider keeping it."

Edward blushed, golden eyes widening, and Envy had to admit he'd never seen such a priceless display as that. Hell, it was almost worth admitting he had just complimented the blonde!

"What's with you…?" Edward muttered under his breath as he pulled his knees to his chest, hugging them. "Being all nice to me… Oh, now I remember" the blonde's head perked up, and he gave Envy a curious look. "You never told me what happened with you."

Envy sighed, looking away. Fair was fair, he guessed. So he sat in a similar way as Edward, watching the fire, and told the alchemist everything he knew – which was, everything since he had woken up on the floor of Father's lair. He told Edward about their escape, the chimera and the military car. He told him about how they had confronted Father, about the strange connection and affinity the Homunculi shared now, and how Wrath had changed his form and Pride was missing. He even told Edward the thing he had hidden from the other Homunculi – although he wasn't sure whether Greed knew or not: that Father had tried to take his stone from him, and the terrifying feeling that had given him. He could even feel the stone pulsing in protest inside his chest as he relived the story for the blonde, who was watching him intently, the fire reflecting in his eyes in a way that made Envy forget what he was telling.

"Don't look at me like that" he protested at one point. "You're distracting me. You look stupid."

"Sorry" Edward looked down, and Envy continued where he had left off, missing the fact that, for once, the loudmouthed blonde wasn't answering to his insults.

"So… We separated. I don't think anyone followed me, so don't worry about that. I _am _worried about the others, though…"

"Can't you locate them?"

"I could try" Envy frowned, concentrating on his mental map. After a few seconds, he felt the five stones in his head start pulsing. Lust and Gluttony were in the sewers again – _what idiots! _Sloth was still in the same alleyway from the last time, dozing off peacefully. And Greed and Wrath were coming towards them. He told Edward this, and the blonde nodded softly.

"They probably located you, and they want to rendezvous."

"Most likely" Envy shrugged. "Hey… Hum…" he stuttered as Edward got up muttering something about "more towels" and stretching his arms over his head. "We… Don't have to meet up here. You have nothing to do with this" Envy shrugged and got up too, surprising Edward. "I'll go and find them. Go to bed, you look terrible" he added, trying not to sound so polite, and then walked to the door. However, as he was about to reach for the doorknob, a soft, warm and distinctly _human _hand grabbed his own. He looked over his shoulder at Edward, who bowed his head down, seemingly deep in thought.

"It's pouring outside. You'll get wet… And cold" he stated, and Envy blinked a few times before his temper kicked in again, and he violently broke his hand free from Edward's grip.

"Damn, I know it is, you pipsqueak!"

"Who are you calling a tiny microscopic pipsqueak?"

"You, you blonde idiot!"

"You… You stupid palm tree! And here I was trying to be nice!"

"I don't have time to deal with _little _problems like this!"

"DO NOT use that word! You stubborn bastard!"

Envy ignored this and threw the door open, but as he was about to walk out, Edward grabbed his arm again, effectively stopping him and making him turn around. Outside, the heavy but quiet rain had morphed into a dangerous thunderstorm as quickly as Envy morphed into whomever he pleased.

"Wait, Envy—"

"Aww, but this is _adorable!_"

Envy turned around and Edward blushed and released his arm when they noticed Greed standing behind them, a smirk on his face. It was a wonder how he managed to look cool and mischievous even while giving a sleeping Wrath a piggyback ride. It was a strange mix between bad guy and overprotective big brother.

"Envy, I should've imagined you'd come and visit your dear Fullmetal first!"

"_Dear_?" Envy ignored the burning on his cheeks as he yelled at Greed at the top of his lungs. "Like I care about him! It was only by _mistake_ that I found him! I would've never come to him for help! That's absurd!"

"I don't know, that thing you told Father about Fullmetal being a better master…"

"You said what about who?" Edward asked, half confused, half outraged, and half pleased. Which made three and a half, but when three Homunculi showed at your door after two years of boring and unnerving _normalness_, reasoning was something very vague, if not nonexistent.

"That was only to piss him off and you know it" Envy huffed, crossing his arms. "Now let's go, we have to find—"

"But…!"

Edward's protest was silenced by Envy's death-glare. The Homunculus stared at the boy for a few seconds, before sighing in defeat and placing a hesitant hand on Edward's shoulder – it was strange to see that it was fleshy now, a faint scar the only reminder of the automail.

"Shut up, O'chibi-san. If you're so keen on having a Homunculi meeting in your sitting room, we'll be back as soon as we find the others, yeah?"

And ignoring Greed's puzzled look, even if it made him blush, Envy added:

"And if you don't believe me… We'll leave Wrath here."

It was almost five a.m., and Edward had just woken up from a short nap, when the door opened and Envy stepped in, a bit flushed from the cold and Greed's constant teasing about the clothes he was wearing. Edward hadn't just let him go like that, oh no, not dressed only in a tank-top and shorts/miniskirt. And so Edward's blue military jacket was wrapped tightly around him, and when the alchemist saw him walk in dressed like that, he couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Envy in a military uniform. It was so impossible, it was almost scary.

After Envy, in walked Greed, still laughing his head off, followed by Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth, who quickly plopped down next to the door and fell asleep.

"Where's Wrath?" Lust asked, looking around – and it was then when she noticed the blonde alchemist staring at them over the back of the couch, the light from the fireplace creating a golden aura around him – even more golden than normal, Envy noticed with a chuckle as he took off the blue jacket.

"Hum…" Edward struggled for words. What does one say to those who were once your biggest enemies? He licked his lips nervously. Talking to Envy had been so much easier, but Lust was simply standing there, arms crossed, with Gluttony by her side, and Edward was completely at a loss. "Eh… Wrath… He's right here" and he glanced down at the little Homunculus sleeping on the couch beside him, his head resting on the blonde's thigh. Wrath had been awake for a little while, scared at his new surroundings and the stranger that was Edward; but after a small chat, he finally understood Edward wouldn't harm him and he fell asleep again. "I thought Homunculi didn't need sleep…" Edward mused, and Envy walked up to the couch, resting his elbows on its back to look down at the sleeping Homunculus.

"We don't. Some of us just like to, like Sloth. And Wrath too, it seems."

"He's really nice" Edward admitted, patting the sleeping boy's head. Lust, who had already made herself comfortable in an armchair next to a desk and a bookcase, smiled at that.

"The Elric boy really isn't that bad, is he?" she told Gluttony, who was sitting at her feet. The chubby Homunculus tilted his head back, looking at her upside-down.

"Envy seems to like Ed."

"Yeah, I wonder what the story is with those two…" Greed mumbled, sitting at the desk as he glanced at the aforementioned pair. Envy had sat in precarious balance on the arm of the couch, legs crossed, and Edward was – apparently unconsciously – resting his elbow on the Homunculus' thigh as they talked in quiet whispers. "They seem… Close. But there's no reason for them to be, is there?"

"I wonder" Lust shrugged, smiling down at Gluttony as he fidgeted with the hem of her dress.

"It's soft…"

"I don't want you to think anything of this" Envy whispered, looking down into Edward's golden eyes with a deadly-serious glare. "It's not like we're friends or anything, Fullmetal."

"Like I would expect that from you" Edward shrugged, grinning. "I'd doubt your identity if you suddenly befriended me."

Envy nodded, and then looked away.

"But… Don't think I've forgotten… _That_."

Edward blinked, confused for a few seconds, but then his expression softened again. Of course, Envy was referring to their little conversation before the Homunculus' death. He smiled.

"I know you haven't, Envy. But don't think you owe me anything."

"_Of course_ I do not, O'chibi-san!"

"Shh, you'll wake Wrath up, loudmouth…"

"Like I give a damn…!"

"Envy, _shut up_! Al is asleep upstairs!"

"…" Envy bit his tongue. He wanted to talk back, he wanted to tell Edward to fuck off, but something stopped him. Edward had sheltered them in his house for the time being, and dammit if he knew that the least he could do was keep his voice down so as not to wake the younger Elric. "You…" he muttered, thinking of something evil enough to express everything he was feeling. "You're… _Short_."

"_Who are you calling a little shorty who cannot even reach the sink without standing on a stool?"_

"That's what he said" Envy shrugged, smirking at the outburst, but both him and Edward froze when they heard a door creaking on the upper floor, and footsteps walking down the stairs.

Alphonse Elric had been sleeping peacefully until he heard his brother screaming downstairs – something about sinking and wool, or something like that. And being the caring, protective younger brother he was, he had to get out of his warm bed and walk barefoot down the stairs to find out what was wrong with his elder sibling.

Of course, he hadn't expected to find six Homunculi lounging around his sitting room, his brother sitting beside a sleeping one, and leaning against none other than Envy. It was so bizarre, that he had to blink a few times, and then, without thinking, he pinched his own cheek to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He felt the pain from the pinch, and thought he could faint as he reached the foot of the stairs.

"Nii-san?" he asked, looking around at the paralyzed – or sleeping – Homunculi. His brother stood up, turning to face him, his face a little red from embarrassment.

"Uh, Al… I-I can explain…"

"What are you doing up?" Alphonse wanted to question Edward about the Homunculi, _God _he wanted to know why there were Homunculi reading alchemy books in his sitting room at five-thirty in the morning, but he didn't know how to ask – and he didn't want to offend the Homunculi either. They seemed strangely friendly, and starting a war would be no use.

"Aww, is it Eddy's bedtime?" Greed said, in a mockingly sweet voice, and Envy laughed so hard he almost fell off the arm of the couch.

"E-Eddy's…!"

"Shut up!" Edward hissed, blushing madly and glaring daggers at the shapeshifter. "It's _your _fault I'm up this late!"

"Or this early" Alphonse pointed out with a smile, but the comment went unheard as Greed and Envy continued their teasing.

"Am I keeping you up, O'chibi-san?"

"Maybe he's afraid the big bad Homunculi will kill him in his sleep!"

"Perhaps you need some warm milk, ne, Fullmetal Shorty?"

"I'm not short and I'm not gonna drink any disgusting white stuff!"

"Oh, dear. That was so wrong" Greed shook his head, and even Lust chuckled a little at that, while Envy _did _fall off his spot on the couch this time, lying face-up on the floor as he tried to catch his breath.

"I-I… Didn't know y-you… Were c-capable of… I-Innuendo, O'chibi-san!"

"In a what?"

"Nevermind, Ed" Alphonse scratched his head, a small blush grazing his cheeks. "Just… Tell me what happened, yeah?"

Edward stopped glaring at Envy, suddenly becoming serious, and nodded.

"Yes. Take a seat, Al."

When Edward finished explaining his little brother everything, Alphonse was sitting on the couch, Wrath's head on his lap. Envy had stayed beside Edward, nodding softly and adding information to the alchemist's account, but not talking much – he knew the younger blonde would most likely believe his brother rather than a bunch of Homunculi. The shapeshifter was glad his _family _had stayed silent and out of the way, reading or chatting in hushed voices.

Alphonse leaned against the back of the couch, sighing and closing his eyes, absentmindedly playing with Wrath's soft black hair.

"I thought all this was over" he admitted, resignedly, and Edward looked down.

"I did too…"

"But don't worry about it" Envy shrugged, going back to sit on the arm of the couch beside Alphonse, who couldn't help but flinch a little. "You have nothing to do with this, Fullmetal. Yeah, Father probably wants to get back at you two for messing up his plans, but he'll certainly try to get us first. So, you're safe for now."

Edward blinked, staring at Envy as if the Homunculus had suddenly grown another head – which in fact wouldn't have been as strange as what the shapeshifter had just said.

"You expect me to _stay here and do nothing_?"

Envy shrugged again, and then nodded with an innocent smile.

"Yep!"

"You're crazy" Edward shook his head. "No way. I can't—"

"Aww, he's worried about you, Envy!"

"_Shut up, Greed!_"

"But… Nii-san…" Alphonse got up then, and Envy realized, with a snicker, that he was taller than his elder brother. Wrath's head fell on the cushions, and the young Homunculus opened his eyes.

"Huh?"

"You woke him up, Alphonse" Envy said, evilly, watching in amusement as Alphonse looked at the smallest Homunculus and panicked.

"Aww, I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

"Who is he?" Wrath tilted his head to the side, staring at the youngest Elric in curiosity. But before Alphonse could introduce himself, Edward interrupted.

"Al. What were you going to say?"

"…Oh. Right" and Alphonse turned to look at his brother in the eyes again. "Nii-san, I know you want to help, but there's nothing you can do, remember? You…" and he lowered his voice a bit. "You can't use alchemy anymore, Nii-san…"

"He can't?" Envy raised an eyebrow. "So Fullmetal isn't an alchemist anymore?"

Mortified, Edward didn't reply. Alphonse shook his head.

"Nii-san gave up his powers to save me."

"I don't regret it, Al."

"I know, Nii-san…"

"So that settles it" Envy cut in. "Fullmetal can't do a thing now, can he? He can't help."

_I could, maybe_, Alphonse thought, but when he was about to voice his idea, Envy's eyes fell upon his own, and it was then when he noticed the fiery look in them, and he understood that Envy really _didn't _want the Fullmetal alchemist to get mixed up in this. He could only guess why, though, but judging by the other Homunculi's faces, it was something serious. Hence, he remained silent.

"Seriously… You guys are…" Edward sighed in defeat. "Fine…"

"I don't know why you care so much, anyway" Greed shrugged then, getting up from his seat and scratching his head. "It's none of your business, is it? Cut the hero shit out, midget. We don't want a savior."

"Who are you calling a m—!"

"Greed" Envy interrupted, glaring at his brother, arms crossed tightly. "Don't. There's nothing wrong with the little kid wanting to play the hero…"

"_Don't call me little, you envious monster!"_

"…But he can't" Envy finished, glare shifting from Greed to the alchemist – or was it ex-alchemist? "And don't _ever_ call me monster again, you _Fullmetal Non-Alchemist._"

"Fuck you!"

"Ed!" Alphonse's voice chimed in then, indignantly, while Wrath giggled.

"He said the F word! …Fuck is the F word, right? What's fuck?"

"Ask Lust."

"Oh, shut up, Greed."

"We'll get going, then" Envy said, jumping to his feet, and Edward gave him such a furious glare, that he found himself frozen in place, trembling lightly.

"You're not going anywhere" Edward growled, "with that storm going on outside_. At least_ stay here until the weather is better."

Envy looked into Edward's eyes. There was pain in there, and that surprised him. For some reason, he didn't like the anguish he saw in those golden pools. Edward looked frail and small without his automail and without his alchemy. He was nothing but _human_. Even if he wanted to help them – Envy was very much aware of the older Elric's hero complex – Edward knew there was nothing he could do.

Envy bit his lower lip, looking away. He couldn't stand it.

"Fine. We'll stay."

Edward retreated to his room with Envy on tow. They stubbornly ignored Greed's teasing and Alphonse's weird stare as they closed the door behind themselves. Edward plopped down on his bed, and Envy leaned against the closed door – his weight would stop anyone from coming in, and he could notice if anyone came to peek on them.

Both boys, human and Homunculus, stared at each other. There was something unsaid between them, or at least that was how Edward felt, as he looked deep into Envy's purple-red eyes, trying to find the answer he sought. Envy simply panicked, not knowing what was going on or why the alchemist was looking at him like that. He hated how deep and expressive Edward's eyes were.

"Hum… What's up, pipsqueak?" he asked, trying to sound rude, but the insult lacked its usual strength. And once again, Edward ignored it – he was doing that a lot, and it unnerved the Homunculus. Edward raised an eyebrow.

"That's what I'd like to know. Everything you told me makes sense, except for one reason" Edward fidgeted with his blanket, looking down, lost in his thoughts. Envy watched him, frowning and crossing his arms. The little bastard didn't believe him! And after the show he had put on in front of the younger Elric, Envy had thought the alchemist was on his side! He should've known better than to trust the blonde… "And that's exactly what I don't understand, Envy… The reason why this happened. Why did you all change your mind? How come that all of sudden you think I'm good and your Father is bad?"

Envy blinked, taken aback. Edward didn't sound distrustful – in fact, his tone was interested, almost curious. He felt a little uneasy under that look, and his eyes shifted away, towards the window.

"Like I know" Envy shrugged. "When I woke up, my family was already fighting him. I just felt the impulse from them and joined in the fun. And almost had my heart taken from me, _again_."

Edward frowned, staring intently at Envy, wishing the Homunculus would look at him, so he could study his expression. There was something about him… Something he couldn't describe. Something fishy – not in a bad way, just strange.

"So… You don't know what made you change your mind?"

"Why are you asking me alone, pipsqueak?"

"Because you're the most civil out of them, palm tree, and that alone is enough to set off my fishy alarm!"

"I'm not—!"

"_Yes, you are_. You're being civil, too civil. Hell, Envy, you were even _nice _to me back there. I wanna know what's going on" Edward narrowed his eyes. Yes, he had considered the chance that maybe it was all a complicated acting to get him and Alphonse in trouble. But Envy had seemed so sincere… Still, it was Envy they were talking about… "And I don't care what happened to the others. I'm asking about _you_, since you seem to be the leader now."

Envy's lips trembled. He felt troubled, but he didn't know why, and that made him nervous; and a nervous Envy was a violent Envy. He lunged at Edward, straddling him as he pushed the alchemist back against the mattress, the combined weight making it creak in protest. The Homunculus' hands encircled the human's throat, and Edward tried in vain to push him off, but both his arms were flesh and bones now and he was no match for Envy's incredible weight. His head started spinning as he gasped for breath.

"_What do you want me to say, Fullmetal?"_

"E-En…!" Edward clawed at the other male's arms, gripping them, leaving crescent moon marks where his nails drove into the artificial flesh – which regenerated as once. Unlike Edward's lungs, which were now burning, making him cough, tears filling his eyes. He was suffocating. "P-Pl… Ah…!"

"I don't know, okay? I don't _fucking _know!"

The grip lessened, and Edward lied there with his eyes closed, panting heavily, while Envy slid to the floor, and pressed a hand to his forehead, sighing shakily.

"I don't know… I don't feel like myself…"

Edward sat up, rubbing his neck, and looked down at the Homunculus in bewilderment. Envy looked confused, troubled and broken. A pang of guilt made him lean down to pat the artificial human's head, awkwardly.

"Hum, Envy… Calm down, I didn't mean to…"

"I was born like this, okay?" Envy sighed shakily. "I woke up and my chest was killing me, and everyone was screaming and Father said I'd have to bring you to him" Edward's eyes widened at that, but he didn't interrupt the Sin's recollection, even if he had already heard it before. This time, it held much more meaning. "And all I could think of was… My last memory… And it was of you, of all people!" Envy closed his eyes, shivering in disgust. "Why did it have to be you, out of all the pathetic humans out there? Don't answer me!" the Homunculus raised a hand, effectively shutting Edward up. "I know why. Or at least I think I know why, but… I don't know why I think that. Does that make any sense anyway?"

"Yeah" Edward shrugged. "Sometimes feelings don't have a reason behind them. Just like when you love someone even though they're assholes."

"Don't… Compare it to that" Envy shivered again, a faint blush dusting his pale cheeks. "But… Yeah, I guess you could call it a feeling. I think you're better than them, Edward Elric. You tried to understand me, unlike the rest, who settled with just hating my guts. And I hated them too, I hated everyone, but now…" the Sin looked up at Edward, and if for some reason the alchemist still believed he was lying, the suspicion was blown away by that look. "I-I just can't get myself to hate you."

Edward stared at the Homunculus in surprise for a few seconds; then, his expression softened, a small smile curving his lips.

"I don't hate you either, Envy. And I'm glad you feel the same."

"Don't get cocky, though. This doesn't mean we're friends."

"I know, you already told me."

"Good. Better carve it inside that little brain of yours."

"_Who are you calling a little insignificant microbe?"_

Envy looked back at him with a tired expression, before reaching up and pushing him back onto the bed.

"Ne, I think you need some sleep. Your head is malfunctioning."

"I swear, if you call me short again…!"

"Whatever, whatever" Envy got up, dusting off his loincloth and stretching, well toned muscles showing. "Just sleep, Fullmetal. I'll wake you up if anything happens, promise."

"There you go, being all nice again" the blonde protested. He didn't want to drop the subject, but his eyes felt heavy. Envy watched with a smirk as the human fell asleep.

"Sleep well, Fullmetal" he whispered as he sat on the window sill. "…Ugh. Why did I say that?"


	3. Rain

**Author's Note: **I felt like updating, so I will. Today I finished writing the eighth chapter. Bear it in mind that, at some point, the updating will become slower. I wanna thank my reviewers from the bottom of my heart, and apologize to Anon and SinfulNekoRose for the trouble with the last chapter - I tried to solve it, people, but I don't think it worked. I'm so sorry!

Warnings for this chapter? Delicious senseless angsty kinda-yaoish stuff. Yeah, I'm a tease. And I just noticed the name of this chapter is the same as the title for the last Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood opening. Listen to "Rain" by SID while reading this if you like, I think it could suit the mood!

Also, about last chapter, a few days after finishing typing it I found an EdxEnvy picture with both of them wearing military uniforms. Coincidence? Fate? Perverts thinking alike? I don't know, but it was so awesome. I'll post a link if I find it again!

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The Ouroboros Sign

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 3 – _Rain_

When Edward woke up, less than three hours later, he had to wonder if everything had been a dream. Then he blinked, looked around, and saw the long-haired Homunculus sitting on the window sill, watching the rain fall outside with a thoughtful expression. Relief washed over the alchemist for some strange reason, and smiling, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had barely slept, but he didn't feel tired. Envy turned to him, and the ghost of a smile played over his lips.

"You're awake."

"Good morning, Envy."

"…Yeah. Good morning, Ed" the Homunculus looked away, until he heard a snicker behind him, and he shot the alchemist a questioning look. "What?"

"So-Sorry" Edward chuckled, blushing lightly. "It's just that… You called me _Ed_."

Envy blushed madly, snarling at the teenager.

"You little ungrateful pipsqueak! If I knew you were gonna laugh at me, I would've stuck to _midget_!"

"Who are you calling a microscopic midget who's so small that even microbes laugh at him?"

"Nobody, idiot, and that's why you laughed at me! You masochist!"

"I'm not laughing at you, geez! Are you on your period or what?"

"Do you even know what a period is? Wait, do you even know what a _girl_ is?"

"Do you know what a _boy_ is? Because you don't look like one!"

"You midget!"

"Psycho!"

"Microscopic idiot! I was just trying to be nice!"

"Stupid palm tree! I like it when you're nice!"

An awkward knock on the door made them both aware of what they had just said, and Envy refused to look at Edward as the flushed teen got out of his bed and walked to the door, feeling like a complete idiot. Why had he just screamed that? And why was Envy trying to be nice anyway? He still didn't understand.

Lust was standing outside the room, wearing tight light blue jeans, leather boots that reached up to her knees, and a red turtleneck sweater that perfectly hid away her Ouroboros tattoo. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and Edward had to admit that she looked very pretty.

"Hum… Good morning, Lust."

"Wow, Lust!" Envy pushed Edward aside, slamming him against the wall while cheerfully admiring Lust. "You look awesome! You could pass for a human, too!"

"Well, you can morph at will, but the rest of us have to do something to pass unnoticed, mh?" she smiled at the smaller Homunculus. "You should morph yourself into something more presentable too. Anyway, Alphonse says breakfast is ready" she added, talking more to Edward than to Envy. The blonde rubbed his nose as he walked up behind Envy, purposefully nudging the Sin's naked waist with his elbow, making him jump and shiver at the contact.

"Thanks, Lust. I'll be right down."

The female Homunculus walked off, leaving Envy and Edward to glare at each other.

"You look even shorter in the morning, Fullmetal."

"Morph into something presentable, you look like a cheap slut."

Envy was actually taken aback by this, which surprised Edward; he had never expected the Homunculus to react to something that… Low. But Envy looked away from him, frowning, before a white light engulfed him. When it dissipated, the Sin was wearing black jeans and a green shirt, with the first buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. A green snake-shaped necklace hung around his neck, and his hair was braided in the way Edward usually wore it. He looked much more human, Edward had to admit, and much less androgynous.

"That's… Actually much better" the blonde admitted, and Envy shrugged before walking out of the room.

"Hurry up, your brother scares me, Fullmetal."

The Homunculus didn't want Edward to see him smile at his words.

Downstairs, the air was lighthearted and cheerful – surprisingly so for a house full of runaway Homunculi. The remaining four Sins were also dressed in normal clothes, and Envy couldn't help but feel they actually looked like a _normal human family_ now. Wrath apparently had the same idea in mind, and Alphonse and him were having fun choosing what role would each Homunculus take in the family.

"So Lust is the mommy…" Wrath recounted, sitting on the kitchen counted, feet swinging back and forth and a thoughtful finger pressed to his lower lip. "Gluttony is the daddy…"

Gluttony actually _blushed _at this, choking on the pancakes he was devouring, and Sloth let out a throaty chuckle. Lust, who was sitting at the table beside Greed, sipping on her coffee, didn't seem to react at the comment.

"What the hell is going on here?" Envy wondered as he sat across Greed, who offered him a steaming cup of black liquid as well. "Hum, thanks… But we don't need it, do we?"

"You'd be surprised, Env', it's really tasty. Try it!"

"Envy and Greed would be your elder brothers, right?" Alphonse smiled at Wrath as he placed some pancakes in an empty plate and set it on the table for his brother. Wrath nodded, grinning.

"Yep! Envy is the eldest brother, and Greed is the middle one!"

Laughter erupted, and Envy found himself laughing along with the others and teasing his 'younger brother' about it.

"Aww, my little brother Greed! That's so cute!"

"Shut up, you envious monster!"

"You're nothing but a whiny greedy kid!"

Edward stepped into the kitchen then, an aura of bad mood floating around him, but it didn't affect the others. Alphonse giggled as he set a glass of milk in front of his brother, ignoring the other blonde's snort.

"What about Sloth?" he asked Wrath, who looked at the biggest Homunculus thoughtfully.

"I don't know…"

"How about Gluttony's brother?" Envy offered, surprising himself once again. Since when was he so cheerful in the morning? Perhaps it was the coffee. Yeah, it had to be that. The coffee. "We could call him 'Uncle Sloth' then!"

"Yeah!" Wrath cheered, while Greed rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please…"

"Will I have to do anything?" Sloth growled, and Wrath shook his head.

"Nope!"

"Okay, then. Doing stuff is a pain."

"My house being this noisy in the morning is also a pain" Edward grumbled, but only Envy heard him, and a slight frown clouded his features. He glanced around, making sure Alphonse was busy chatting with Wrath – something about kitties and how he used to hide them in his armor and how cute they were and all – and that everyone else was distracted as well, before quickly snatching Edward's glass of milk and quickly gulping it down. He set it back in its place just as Alphonse turned to check on his brother, and he gave the puzzled Edward a huge smile.

"Nii-san, you actually drank it all! That's great!"

Edward smiled awkwardly, and then turned to Envy with a questioning look as Alphonse went back to his chores.

"Why did you help me now, Envy?"

"I'm sorry" the Sin replied, looking away, hands gripping his half-empty cup tightly. "I didn't want to cause you trouble. But you made us stay."

Edward watched as the thin fingers tightened around the green steaming mug, and he suddenly felt like a fool. Envy had wanted to leave the night before, and he had practically forced the Homunculus to stay. And now he was complaining about the guests he had more than willingly accepted. He sighed, poking at his pancakes with his fork.

"I should be the one apologizing. I did ask you to stay."

"We'll leave as soon as the rain stops" Envy promised, getting up, and Edward felt a slight sting of guilt when the thought that maybe he had made the Sin feel unwanted came to him. He opened his mouth to tell Envy he hadn't meant it that way, but no sound came out and he only watched, open-mouthed, as the Sin marched out of the kitchen, greenish black hair waving behind him.

"What's gotten into him now?" Green wondered, and Edward blushed and looked down, feigning interest in his breakfast.

_Dammit, Envy, get a hold of yourself!_

Envy glared at his reflection in the mirror. He had been locked in the bathroom, alone with his thoughts, for a good ten minutes now, and after punching himself a few times and splashing cold water on his face, he felt much more rational and regretted his earlier behavior. Why had he let Edward's words affect him? Why had he felt guilty for upsetting him? Why did he have to help him? Why did he have to feel _hurt _that Edward seemed to want them to leave? And why did he actually have to _get up and leave_, anyway? He was having fun – actually fucking having fun without _killing _anybody, for shit's sake! – until Edward arrived, and suddenly he started feeling uneasy and funny again. The once-alchemist's presence unnerved him.

_Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe I still can't stand the shrimp._

_But then, why would I care for him in the first place?_

"Fuck" he whispered, pressing a hand to his forehead, resting his back against the door. "Damn you, Ed…" he sunk down until he was sitting on the cold tile floor, knees pulled up against his chest. "What the hell is wrong with me…?"

Flashbacks of the events right before his death flashed in his mind, and an unknown anguish welled up inside his chest, frustrating him even further. Where was the coldhearted killer he had once been? What had that stupid little human done to him?

"Damn you, Fullmetal!"

"_Envy?"_

From the other side of the door, Alphonse's voice called his name softly. Envy froze at the sound. Had Fullmetal's brother heard him? What would he think? Cursing himself once again, he got up and opened the door just enough to be able to peek outside.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Alphonse's voice was concerned. "Are you sick? Do you need anything?"

_Your brother is the one making me sick! I need him to get out of my life!_

Envy closed his eyes for a few seconds, willing himself to relax. Edward wasn't around, so it was fine. He even managed a little smile as he opened the door.

"No, Alphonse, thanks a lot."

"No problem…" Alphonse trailed off, staring deep into Envy's eyes. Envy didn't like the feeling that gave him; the younger Elric's eyes were much too alike his brother's. "Envy… What's going on between—"

But before Alphonse could finish the question, a childish voice interrupted them.

"_Alphonse-chan!"_

Wrath ran up to Alphonse from behind, throwing his arms around the alchemist's neck and clinging onto him, giggling.

"Let's go play outside, Alphonse-chan! The rain has stopped!"

Envy gasped, feeling as if he had just swallowed a cube of ice. The rain had stopped… That meant they had to take their leave. He bowed his head down, black hair darkening his face, and Wrath peeked at him over Alphonse's shoulder.

"Nii-chan? What's wrong?"

"I… I promised Fullmetal we'd be leaving as soon as the rain stopped. We have to go now, Wrath."

"Aww, but I wanted to play outside with Alphonse-chan!"

"Envy" Alphonse started, in an apologetic tone. "I'm sure Ed won't mind it if you stay for a while a—"

"No" Envy snarled, fists tightening. "He wanted us to leave, didn't he? We're going now!" he looked up, and there was such a fiery determination in his purple eyes, that Wrath immediately let go of Alphonse and ran off, yelling at the top of his little lungs:

"Greed! Mommy! Daddy! Uncle Sloth! We're leaving now, hurry up!"

A minute later, they were all reunited in the sitting room, just like they had the night before; though this time, Envy and Edward were far from sitting close to each other – too close, in fact, Envy realized just then. The blonde alchemist had an unreadable expression on his face while Envy purposefully avoided his eyes.

"Hum… Well, thank you for everything, guys" Lust said when she realized their current leader wouldn't speak a word to Edward. "We'll… Let you know if anything happens."

"What are you planning to do?" Alphonse asked, while Edward examined his boots with great interest. Greed shrugged.

"We have to get back at Father, first. We don't wanna hide and run forever."

"And then, well, we don't know" Lust added nonchalantly. "Let's take on one problem at a time."

"Let's go" Envy mumbled, turning to the door, and the other Homunculi followed him. Wrath was the last one to leave the house, giving Alphonse a kiss on the cheek and running out, giggling. The youngest Elric put a hand to his face, blushing.

"Uh… W-What was that…?"

Edward sighed, plopping down onto the couch.

"I feel useless" he admitted. "And very, very stupid."

Alphonse could only pat his brother's shoulder. The house was silent again, and the atmosphere felt somewhat heavy.

"Ed… What's going on between Envy and you?"

"Ask Envy. He's the one who started it."

_Or… Maybe it was me?_

"This sucks even more than being stuck with Fullmetal" Envy snarled as he got up, shaking the smelly greenish water off his hair. They were down in the sewers again, headed towards Father's lair. Envy had regained his dominant air, and any questions about his earlier behavior at the Elrics' had been ignored completely. The awkward silence was only interrupted by the dripping, gurgling sounds of the sewers.

"I you'd stop hurrying so much, maybe you wouldn't trip and fall into the water so much" Greed countered, and Envy replied by splashing him with dirty water. "GAH! Damn you, you little monster! Just you wait until we get out of here! I'll kill you until you die!"

"That a promise" Envy raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms, and Lust put a hand on his shoulder.

"Envy, Greed, stop. We have to work together, remember?"

"Yes, mom" Envy rolled his eyes, taking the lead once again. Wrath, who was sitting on Sloth's shoulder, leaned over to look at the bigger Homunculus in the eyes, upside-down.

"Uncle Sloth, do you think we'll get to see another chimera?"

"I hope not" Gluttony chimed in, fidgeting nervously, and Sloth groaned.

"Chimeras are a drag. Fighting is such a pain I could die."

"You'll get fat like Gluttony if you don't exercise, Sloth" Lust commented with a smirk, and a tear rolled down Gluttony's cheek.

"Don't be mean, Lust!"

"I'm kidding, you silly!" she laughed, and Gluttony's expression immediately switched to a grin. Envy looked at him over his shoulder, frowning. Perhaps if he had told Fullmetal that, _"don't be mean, Ed!"_, the blonde would've told him it was just a joke. But he had stormed off like a pissed-off girl, and Edward had just gawked at him like a retarded fish. And now he was failing to keep Fullmetal out of his mind for more than half an hour!

_This is seriously starting to get freaky. I'm obsessing over the shrimp. Perhaps I should've actually taken him to Father and let the old man use his soul as stone material?_

But the mental image of Edward suffering at the hands of Father made his stomach churn violently, and suddenly he wished he hadn't agreed to drink that coffee. It was obviously affecting him.

"We're getting closer" Greed mumbled suddenly, pointing at a circular hole in a wall. The hole in which Gluttony, Wrath and Lust had hidden during the fight with the lion-crocodile chimera. Envy nodded.

"Yeah. It's this way, then."

Finally, anxiety for the upcoming encounter with Father pushed the thoughts of the Fullmetal Alchemist out of his mind. He could feel it flowing from the rest of his _family_ as well the pulsing of their Philosopher's stones, like beating hearts. They were synchronized again, and that gave him some reassurance. Perhaps the six of them could match Father's power?

_Well, five of us, because like hell I'm letting Wrath fight_, he thought, looking at the small Homunculus riding on Sloth's shoulders. Wrath glared at him, as if guessing what Envy was thinking.

"I'm gonna fight with all I have, nii-chan" he said, narrowing his purple eyes, and after a few seconds of astonishment, Envy's expression softened, and he nodded.

"I'm sure you'll be the one to beat him, Wrath."

_Great, now I sound just like Fullmetal._

…_Fuck dammit!_

It had to be some kind of curse, Envy was sure.

As they turned around a corner, the huge hole on the opposite wall suddenly became visible; the hole they had used to escape Father's attack. Which meant his lair was just on the other side. Lust stopped suddenly, and Greed and Envy turned to her, while Gluttony placed a hand on her back. She unconsciously stepped closer to him, her hand gripping his shoulder, claws digging into the tanned flesh.

"Guys… Be careful, you all" she whispered, grimacing, as if in pain. Gluttony looked up at her, and then put his other arm around her in a protective hug. She let him, her hands resting on his shoulders.

"Don't worry, mom" Greed smiled then, giving her a thumbs up, and Envy nodded.

"We won't get killed" he assured Lust, before turning back around towards the hole. "Well… I'll go first."

And he jumped through, Greed and Lust following almost immediately, frowns of deep concentration on their faces.

"It's raining again."

Edward looked up from the book he had been reading for the past hour. Alphonse was standing by the window, watching the heavy rain falling outside once again.

"So?" the elder brother snapped, trying to go back to his reading, but it was impossible. His mind had already started to wander.

So in the end he had let Envy walk under the rain. Something had changed in the Homunculi, and he suspected it had been because of Envy; he was the one that had changed the most. A civil Envy, a cheerful Envy, a _nice _Envy… It was just too weird.

But it was a good change. Envy could be very fun to be around when he wasn't trying to punch him into an useless pulp. But Edward felt he'd done all the wrong things in the little time they had spent together; he kept upsetting the Homunculus over and over again. Maybe Envy had been too sensitive, overreacting all the time, but Edward knew he hadn't been exactly nice either. Hell, he had tried, but he kept messing up.

And then there was that other thing, that strange look in Envy's purple eyes, that thing he was obviously concealing – hell, the Sin was probably unaware of the way he looked at Edward. It was almost…

Almost _longing_.

It was the most bizarre thing that had ever occurred to the alchemist, but maybe… _Maybe Envy had a crush on him?_

A sharp pain shot through his right shoulder and arm, where his automail had once been, and he grunted and gripped his shoulder, feeling sweat forming on his forehead. Alphonse was at his side in a flash.

"Nii-san? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah" Edward sighed, closing his eyes, his right fist tensing, clutching the fabric of his pants. "I-It's nothing, just… The wet weather. It still hurts a bit…"

"Can I bring you anything? Want me to call a doctor? Or Winry?"

Edward looked up. Alphonse was frowning worriedly, impotent desperation etched on his face. He wanted to help his elder brother, but he knew he couldn't. Edward couldn't help but wonder whether he had looked the same way at Envy when he told the Sin he was no longer able to use alchemy.

Useless. Unable to help even if he wanted. And Envy had looked almost relieved. It was almost as if the Homunculus wanted to _protect _him, keep him away from the fight. It made sense; it was true he had showed Envy kindness just before the Homunculus died, and perhaps he had been one of the only humans – if not actually the only one – to ever show kindness to the reckless, mischievous Sin. Could that be enough for Envy to actually develop feelings for him?

The alchemist shook his head. Love had always been too complicated of an issue for him to understand.

"No, Al, I'm okay. It's fading already."

"Okay… Lay down for a while, yeah? I'll report you sick."

"No, don't!"

"Be quiet, Ed, I'm on the phone… Hello? Could I talk to Mrs. Mustang, please? Thanks… Oh, hi, Riza! How are you doing? …Wow! Do you know when it will be born?"

Edward's mind drifted away again. So a Homunculus probably had a crush on him; that was disturbing enough. But there was an even more disturbing fact: that same Homunculus was very likely fighting the most powerful enemy the Elrics had ever encountered, and it would be inhuman not to worry over him and the rest of the Homunculi. Edward closed his eyes, tilting his head back, ignoring the pain on his shoulder.

_You look better with your hair like that, O'chibi-san._

_Don't look at me like that. You're distracting me._

_That thing you told Father about Fullmetal being a better master…_

_Envy seems to like Ed._

_Don't think I've forgotten that._

_You have nothing to do with this, Fullmetal. So you're safe for now._

_Fullmetal can't do a thing now, can he? He can't help._

_I think you're better than them, Edward Elric. I can't get myself to hate you._

Edward placed an arm over his eyes, sighing. He didn't hate Envy either. But he didn't know if he could actually like the Sin, there was still that fishy air about him… Then again, he had asked the Sin to stay, and he was worrying over him.

It was all too complicated. But he didn't like Envy _that way_, he was sure of it. And just to make the point clearer to himself, he decided to call Winry later. Perhaps he could actually ask her out the next time she visited Central.

Vaguely, he wondered whether Envy would ever come back.

"He said he'd leave when the rain stopped. But now it's raining again…"

If Alphonse heard him, he commented nothing.

"Dammit!"

Envy punched the wall, frustration distorting his features, and Lust placed both her hands on his shaking shoulders, comfortingly.

"Envy, relax… We'll find him…"

The lair was deserted. Everything was just as they had left it, but Father was nowhere to be seen. Sloth and Gluttony worked moving boulders and searching under them, while Greed and Wrath looked around the white machinery in the room, careful not to touch anything. Wrath spotted something on the ground next to Father's throne and he bent down to pick it up. His face lit up, and he looked back at the distressed Envy with a grin.

"Nii-chan!" he called cheerfully, running up to the greenish-haired Sin, little hands hidden behind his back. "I got a present for you! Close your eyes and hold your hand out!"

Envy sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Dammit, Wrath, I'm not in the mood for your little games…"

"Please, nii-chan, it'll cheer you up!"

"Okay…" Envy closed his eyes, and Wrath pressed something small and hard into his hand. He opened his eyes again, and blinked down at the red shard.

_A Philosopher's stone._

"Wrath…" Envy gasped, while beside him, Lust stared at the stone, mouth hanging open in disbelief. "W-Where did you find this?"

"On the chair" the boy smiled innocently. "It's a present, nii-chan! Don't lose it, okay?"

"It could actually come in handy" Lust smiled, and Envy nodded, putting a finger to the head of the snake-shaped necklace that hung around his neck. The fake snake opened its mouth, and Envy stuck the shard of glowing red stone in it, to make it look as if the snake was biting into the stone. Wrath grinned.

"It looks very cool, nii-chan!"

"Hey, how come Envy gets a Philosopher's stone and I get nothing?" Greed complained to Wrath, who crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Because I love Envy more than you!"

"C'mon, that's not fair!"

"_You _should've been the one named Envy" said Sin chuckled, caressing the head of the snake absentmindedly. "Thanks for the gift, Wrath, I feel much better now. Any clues, guys?" he asked Sloth and Gluttony as they approached the group.

"No" Gluttony admitted, while Sloth slumped down against the wall.

"Searching for clues is a drag…"

"Well, I did find something" Greed commented then. "If you give me the stone, Envy, I'll tell you."

"Bastard!"

"Greed, tell us right now!"

"Yes, mom" Greed growled, cowering under Lust's furious glare – and her claws. "I found a drawing on the wall over there. You can go check it out if you want."

Envy nodded, and followed the direction Greed pointed in, Gluttony walking behind him, bouncing up and down lightly. On the darkened, damp wall, there was a small black carving of a transmutation circle. Envy's eyes widened in recognition.

"It's just like the one you swallowed, Gluttony, the one in the ruins of Xerxes… Remember?"

"Yes! I ate it!"

"Do you think Father's gone to Xerxes?" Lust asked, arms crossed, and Envy sighed, placing his hands on his hips.

"Probably… But why? And why did he leave us a lead we could follow? Does he actually want us to find him?"

"Maybe" Greed shrugged. "Maybe he thought we'd snap out of it and go back to be his pet Homunculi."

Envy's fists tightened with badly restrained anger.

"Fine. We're going to Xerxes" and he looked back at his family over his shoulder. "To find that bastard and gain our freedom!"

And the other Homunculi nodded, smirks on their faces.


	4. Confrontation in Xerxes

**Author's note: **How can I not post when I have the complete chapter right here and everyone is telling me "Oh, I'm looking forward to the next update!"? It's like having a bar of chocolate in your hand and a groud of cheerleaders encouraging you to eat it, but not doing so. That is to say, I'd like to have some chocolate right now.

By the way, I've finished watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. This fic would take place two years after Father's defeat, ignoring the "two years later" part of the epilogue. Does that make any sense? No? Damn.

**Warnings: **Are bad guys made up to thicken the plot considered OCs? Does this have a plot anyway? I'm kidding, I almost killed my brain trying to think up a plot. The fact that I failed doesn't have anything to do with it. Oh, and of course, yaoi, but if you don't know that by now, you must've been reading a different fic!

* * *

**The Ouroboros Sign**

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 4 – _Confrontation in Xerxes_

"Are you sure you don't want to visit the Elrics first?"

Envy looked at Lust over his shoulder, his black hair waving around him – he had freed it from the braid a while ago, because it felt too distracting - when a gust of chilly, wet wind hit the Central train station. The two Homunculi were standing at a platform, trying to look casual, while Sloth and Gluttony carried around a bunch of suitcases and Greed bought Wrath some snacks from a small stand. They were trying to pass for tourists, perhaps a little eccentric ones, but that suited the purpose just fine. Not many families went to visit the ruins of Xerxes in the middle of winter.

"I don't wanna" the shapeshifter replied, and was surprised to find that his own voice sounded a little sad and small. He'd been excited and encouraged when they found the clue to Father's location, no doubt, but since they had returned to the surface, his mood had deflated. Lust tilted her head.

"Are you okay, Envy?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little down. Maybe it's the rain, Lust…"

"I don't remember a time Envy was sad before" Gluttony put a thoughtful chubby finger to his lips, and Envy felt a murderous impulse towards him. But grabbing his fat head and slamming it against the concrete until it exploded in a gory mess could possibly be a hinder for their plans.

"It's because of that stupid Elric kid, isn't it?" Wrath asked in his angry innocence, as his left hand clutched Greed's, and the right one held a lollypop to his lips. "I don't like him! He makes my nii-chan sad!"

"Why does everyone have to instantly assume that _fucking _Fullmetal has anything to do with my mood?" Envy snapped, and everyone took an unconscious step back. The Sin's head was bowed down, his hair spiking up lightly, and it gave the other Homunculi the feeling that the greenish-black bangs could turn into a bunch of rattlesnakes at any given time, giving Envy a medusa-like look. It was actually quite fitting for the young-looking Sin.

Nobody dared answer, save for Sloth, who sighed and looked around.

"Drama is such a pain."

A vein popped up on Envy's forehead, and Lust quickly changed the subject, while Greed smacked an unnoticing Sloth.

"So, Envy, where are we heading now?"

The sin looked thoughtful for a few seconds, before he replied:

"Well, we should head east, I guess. We could ride the train to Youswell, and then head to the ruins from there."

"Alright" Lust nodded. "Hum… But we don't have any money to buy tickets, do we?"

"We can't waste money on that" Greed shrugged, and Envy gave him a funny look.

"Greed, she's right. We have no money."

"Geez, thanks for reminding me…"

"Seems we'll just sneak into one of the carts when no-one's looking" Lust gave a small sigh. "Hope that doesn't bust our cover. I wouldn't like to have to face the Führer now, he was bad enough when he was Colonel…"

"I won't let Roy Mustang hurt Lust" Gluttony reassured him, and she smirked and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you, _honey._"

Beside them, Sloth chuckled lowly at Gluttony's blush and the dreamy look in his seemingly empty white eyes.

Sneaking into the train was easy enough. Envy – morphed into a beautiful woman with twice the cleavage the form he had taken the night he met Edward had – and Lust had no trouble distracting the guard, and soon enough, the six Homunculi were sitting around the table at a compartment that was way too small to fit both Gluttony and Sloth in. It was a miracle they could still breathe if they really wanted to, Envy thought as he tugged a window open. The air had become drier and the landscape less green as they travelled eastward. the clouds were dissipating very slowly, golden rays peeking through, and the shapeshifter felt his heart sink a little.

_Edward…_

Envy glanced around. Wrath was sitting across from him, leaning against Greed, who in turn was leaning against Sloth. The three of them were sound asleep. Lust and Gluttony were beside him, entertaining themselves with a magazine Greed had stolen from a stand at the station. Everyone seemed distracted, content, relaxed.

Except for himself.

_Edward…_

The long-haired Homunculus rubbed his eyes with both hands. Was it any use to try and fight the thoughts of the blonde alchemist, anyway? He had been thinking of Edward – _obsessing over Edward_ – since his rebirth. Perhaps it was a side effect of Edward being his last thought before dying? Envy rested his elbow on the table and his forehead in his hand, watching the scenery through the window sideways. The sun was slowly starting his descent in the horizon, shining golden amongst the scattered white-violet clouds.

Golden and purple. His eyes, and Edward's.

_Edward._

He felt a smile curving his lips, as if he were hiding a secret that made him very happy, and that no-one would ever find about. But at the same time, he couldn't comprehend what was going through his own mind, and the tinge of desperation at having to keep it a secret gave the whole ridiculous situation an overall bittersweet feeling. If only he could understand himself…

…Like Edward had seemed to.

"Edward" he whispered this time, and an invisible weight was lifted from his chest. Lust turned to him.

"You say something, Envy?"

"Oh… No, nothing."

"Okay, then. We're almost there."

"So it seems."

Definition of awkward if there was one, but Envy didn't seem to care. Feeling protected by some kind of internal strength, as if a light had suddenly gone off inside him, driving the shadows away, he leaned over Lust and snatched the magazine from Gluttony.

"Gimme that, dad. I wanna do the crossword."

"Mh! Envy, you're mean!"

"You'll wake Wrath up! Be quiet!"

"Yes, _mom_."

"Yes, baby—I mean, Lust!"

Surprisingly, Lust's cheeks went a little red at Gluttony's slip-up, and Envy found himself smiling at the whole scene. Perhaps even if they were not human, even if they were soulless and technically lifeless creatures, they could still feel_ love_.

Vaguely, Envy wondered who he could fall in love with. It seemed quite difficult to find someone he wouldn't hate straight out, since he hated everyone per default unless they proved him they were worthy of something else. Who could he, Envy, the cause of the war in Ishval, the assassin of uncountable innocent people, the strongest of the Homunculi at the moment, possibly fall in love with?

_Edward?_

Envy groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. Officially, he had just decided he hated trains. And sunny days.

The sun was setting when they finally reached the eastern border. The people there were very kind to them, completely oblivious to their condition; they believed the whole story of them being a northerner family interested in ruins and history, and nobody questioned them about their motives. Some people were worried about them wanting to venture into the desert, especially with what they assumed to be a little child, Wrath. Envy was tempted to leave his younger sibling there, but he knew Wrath would never forgive him, so he dismissed the idea and told the locals not to worry about them – while his tone clearly warned them to mind their own business. The message went across, and they were left alone. When they finally caught glimpse of the ruins in the distance, the moon was high in the black sky, and the dunes around them were bathed in blue light.

"At least it's not golden" Envy mumbled, as he pulled the coat he had morphed for himself tighter around his body – Greed had received a rather hard punch when he pointed out it looked like the one Edward Elric used to wear – and hissed. The desert was freezing at night.

"Golden?" Wrath questioned from his privileged place atop Sloth's shoulders, and Envy purposefully pretended he hadn't heard him.

"Oi, guys. There they are. The ruins of Xerxes."

The group stopped at the top of one of the dunes, overlooking the grey moonlit ruins. They seemed harmless enough, and yet…

And yet, they could all feel the strong concentration of power inside them, much like anybody else that was trained enough could feel the power emanating from their own little family. Envy placed his hands on his hips, tilting his head to the side, while beside him, Lust crossed her arms.

"It doesn't feel like he's here" she admitted, and Greed frowned, eyes narrowing.

"So it seems…"

"But there's still something in there, don't you think?"

"I wonder… What could it be?" Lust scratched her chin in thought, but before her mind could conjecture anything, Gluttony's voice chimed in.

"Can I eat them?"

"Sure, once we find out what they are" Envy shrugged. "And where."

"Think we should split up and search the ruins?" Greed offered, and Sloth groaned.

"When will we take a rest?"

"No time" Envy clicked his tongue. "Greed had a good idea for once. Lust, you and Gluttony head north. Sloth, go west, take Wrath with you. Greed will check out the east part, and I'll take the south."

"Alone?" Lust bit her lower lip. Envy waved her worry off with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

"Greed and I are the strongest now. We'll be just fine!"

Lust didn't look too convinced, but she didn't dare voicing her thoughts, so she stayed silent as each Homunculus went their way.

* * *

Edward woke up with a start, sitting up in a flash, his right hand pressing to his forehead. He was drenched in cold sweat, and every muscle in his body was tense. His right arm and left leg hurt as if they had been pierced by a million needles. He hadn't had a nightmare like that in almost a whole year, he had thought the whole human transmutation issue was behind him, but it obviously wasn't.

He had dreamt about it again, with a few variations. He was lying on the floor, bleeding, Alphonse calling out to him from the distance while he looked up at the suffering, horrible monster he had transmuted. The creature spoke with its hoarse voice, begged to be killed… Why did it seem so familiar? And suddenly the transmutation circle started glowing red, and in the creature's place was Envy, badly injured, his blood creating a big puddle under him. He looked at Edward with eyes full of pain, a begging look that made the once-alchemist's heart twist painfully.

"_Ed!" _the Homunculus cried out, thick blood dripping from his arms, his middle, his lips, his hair, everywhere. _"Ed, help me! Please, help me!"_

But before he could do anything to assist the fallen Homunculus, a hand reached out and grabbed Envy's hair, tugging the screaming Sin back into the shadows. Envy cried out and held his hand out, but just as Edward reached for it, just as his fingers brushed Envy's bloody, cold ones, he was awakened from his restless slumber by the sound of something breaking downstairs.

Yet, he couldn't get himself to get up and go check what was happening in his kitchen. There were more pressing matters, like the fact he couldn't move his right arm or his left leg, or that there were hot tears running down his cheeks. He whimpered in frustration, squeezing his eyes shut.

"D-Dammit! Damn it all!"

Quick footsteps ran up the stairs, and a soft knocking on his door followed.

"Come in, Al… D-Dammit…"

"Ed?" his brother's eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight as he opened the door and walked in, blond hair falling over his shoulders. He looked much like him that way. "Did you… Did you have that same dream too, nii-san? The one about Envy and Father?"

"Y-Yeah" Edward grunted. "It hurts…"

"Can I—"

"No, Al, I don't want anything. I'll be fine. Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry about that. I-I dropped a glass in the kitchen."

"Thank you for waking me up, anyway. That was horrible… Dammit…" Edward placed an arm over his eyes, blocking out the moonlight. He still didn't know where all the anguish came from. Perhaps it was the feeling of helplessness that invaded him when he saw Envy being taken away, knowing he couldn't help him? And why Envy, of all people?

_What, would you rather have Al, or Winry?_

Edward grimaced. It was selfish of him to think that way.

_It's probably because I'm a little worried, because we haven't heard from the Homunculi since they left for Father's lair…_

"They're probably all dead, right, nii-san?"

Alphonse's shaky voice shook him out of his trance, and he turned to see his brother looking down, eyes narrowed and hands clenched into fists. Edward tried to smile and reassure him, like he had always done during the years, but it was harder when they were both grown and more aware of everything.

"We have to be positive" Edward sighed finally. "Help them with our thoughts, you know."

"I could've done something" Alphonse stared at his own hands. "I still have alchemy…"

"But it was too dangerous…"

"So? You would've gone with them if you still had your powers!"

Taken aback – and caught – Edward looked away. His brother was right, but once again… He wasn't willing to risk his brother, the person he loved the most, for a bunch of Homunculi that had suddenly decided they were good guys.

Still, as his resolve told him that, his subconscious poked them with the memory of Envy's pleading eyes in his dream. Edward shook his head, gritting his teeth. He knew he pitied the Homunculus, but hey, it was none of his business if he died.

_Ed! Ed, help me! Please, help me!_

"Damn…"

Alphonse rested a hand on his brother's shoulder. He knew Edward hated feeling helpless, he couldn't stand impotence, he always wanted to help, to contribute. He was sure most of his brother's turmoil came from the fact that he was useless against Father now.

"Nii-san, go back to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning, you'll see…"

"If they don't come back… Al…"

Alphonse bit his lower lip for a few seconds, before saying, in a very calm, very cold voice.

"It's the path they chose. Probably Auntie Pinako and Winry thought the same when we left Resembool. But they couldn't stop us."

"Heh" Edward smirked despite his pained expression, and gave his brother an amused look. "So this is how Winry felt, huh? No wonder she was always angry. I'd love to kill Envy with my own bare hands at this very moment."

"You will" Alphonse smiled amusedly. "I'm sure of it!"

* * *

Envy had been walking for what felt like hours. Everything looked the same around him, and he could happily consider himself completely lost. If it weren't for the stones of the other Homunculi pulsing softly in his mind, he would've completely freaked out. The other pulsing, that other unknown power, was also present, stronger with each passing second.

He heard footsteps behind him as he was about to turn around a corner, and he froze, a shiver running down his spine. There was someone behind him. The pulsating of the unknown force became stronger than ever.

"_Envy?"_

Envy's eyes widened, and time seemed to stop. He turned around very slowly, as if in slow motion. That voice…

Edward Elric smiled in relief at him. He looked just like he remembered him from the old times: red coat, braided hair, but the automail was missing. His golden eyes glinted beautifully in the moonlight as the blonde approached him, his coat shifting around him with the chilly breeze.

"I'm so glad I found you" the alchemist confessed, standing right before the confused Envy, hands in his pockets. "I thought you were all dead…"

Envy frowned, ignoring his stupid inner self, which was currently rolling around in glee because Edward had been worried about him.

"Not like you care or anything" the Sin spat, and Edward blinked, obviously taken aback.

"Hey, why do you say that? Of course I care about you!"

_Crash!_

Envy's walls collapsed like a sand castle, and he was rendered a stuttering, blushing mess. Sure, he had hoped… But he had never expected the alchemist to just admit _that _out loud! And why was it affecting him so much? Why couldn't he speak to Edward? Why couldn't he pry his eyes from the alchemist's? Why was his Philosopher's stone pulsing so strongly and quickly inside his chest?

Vaguely, he heard an explosion in the distance, but his brain was too melted to register the sound or what it could mean.

"Y-You…" he breathed out, his eyes fixed on Edward's. "Y-You… You… Y-You actually… _Care _about us?" actually, he wanted to ask Edward if he cared about _him_, but it would've sounded too wishful. Edward smiled again, eyes brightening up, and Envy felt a tightening in his chest that had nothing to do with the Philosopher's stone. Another explosion resounded, this time closer, but Envy was still too distracted by all the different shades of golden in Edward's eyes to think of anything else.

"Of course I do. And…" Edward looked down, blushing a bit, his voice becoming quieter and shier as he continued: "I especially care about you, Envy. You're… Special."

Another crash was heard. Envy couldn't be sure if it had been something in the distance, or the stone in his chest that had broken from pulsing so hard. Edward stepped closer, looking up, straight into Envy's eyes. Envy shivered, his nerves peaking. He had to keep the alchemist talking.

"E-Eh… Special? Special how?"

Edward shrugged lightly, his left hand brushing Envy's right one. Envy trembled, he wasn't sure why.

"I don't know" Edward confessed, a slightly troubled look clouding his eyes. "I just realized, when hours passed and you didn't come back… That I actually _wanted _you to come back. I felt so restless without you, Envy…"

Envy felt lightheaded. Edward was so close now, he could feel his unsteady breathing on his own lips. Edward's hand now gripped his, while the free one came to rest on his cheek, pulling his face closer to that of the alchemist.

"I know how you feel, Envy" Edward sighed. His breath smelled so delicious, so tempting… "I understand how you feel, remember? I understand you…"

Envy closed his eyes, but opened them again as he heard a fourth noise, this time right behind him. The stone in his chest pulsed so hard that it hurt.

"E-Ed…"

"Shh" Edward's eyes were half lidded, as he pulled Envy closer, smiling reassuringly. "Don't be afraid, Envy… I love you too…"

_CRASH!_

But this time, Envy didn't react. He was stunned speechless as those words left Edward's lips; the same lips that were now on his, pressing softly, invitingly. The Homunculus' eyes fell closed as Edward kissed him. The lightheadedness became stronger, and his chest felt as if it were about to be ripped in two, but the kiss felt like nothing he'd ever experienced before…

And suddenly, a sharp pain struck his back, and as his eyes shot open he could see Edward smirking, the boy's arm morphing into a blade that was pressed to his neck.

"Foolish monster" Edward snarled, his voice not sounding like his own at all. Envy trembled, daring glance over his shoulder to see a blond man with long hair and white clothes standing behind them. From his shadow, spikes had emerged, and at least half a dozen of them were now stuck in Envy's body, paralyzing him. He looked like Edward; or rather, like a younger version of Father, with a younger-looking face and no beard. His eyes were an icy blue color, and there was a blue Ouroboros tattoo on his left shoulder.

A homunculus.

Eyes wide with panic, Envy turned back around to face Edward, only to find him gone and replaced by a girl with short, straight blond hair and a long white dress. She looked very nice and gentle, save for her left arm, which was morphed into a sharp blade and still pressed to Envy's throat. A cut on her dress showed her right thigh, where the same blue tattoo was.

Envy closed his eyes and screamed.

_Wrath… Lust… Greed… Gluttony… Sloth… Are they all…? …E-Edward…_

_If I die, he'll be defenseless against Father._

Envy's eyes narrowed.

_No fucking way!_

Red lightning cracked, and the female Homunculus jumped back, hissing in pain when Envy's own arm-blade cut hers off clean. Envy stumbled forward, freeing himself from the male's spikes, quickly regenerating himself as he jumped onto a half-demolished wall, crouching there, smirking despite his inner self screaming and tearing at his insides with its little sharp claws.

_I fell into the trap. I fell for it. I fell for Edward. Why? Why? WHY, WHY, WHY?_

"Very smart, you guys" he sneered at the two blondes, who in turn glared up at him, icy blue eyes narrowed with disgust. "You almost had me there! Perhaps if you had brought more of you along, we would've been even!"

The girl twitched, a grimace of pure hatred distorting her otherwise kind features.

"You disgust us, monster!" she yelled, jumping up into the air, ready to deliver a flying kick to Envy's head. The Sin made a flawless backwards flip, dodging the attack and landing in a crouching position on the ground, but he had to run away when the wall was blown to pieces by the man's shadow spikes.

_It's just like the old Pride's attack! _Envy thought as he ran, explosions following him left and right. Edward's voice called his name again, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw the girl, once again morphed into the Fullmetal Alchemist, chasing him. He forced himself to ignore the calls, which were making his mind race and the stone in his chest throb painfully.

"Envy! Envy, help me! This guy is attacking me! Please, help me!"

"Shut up!" Envy screamed, jumping onto a roof and taking off into another direction. "He's not attacking you! You're not Fullmetal!"

"Don't run away from me! I love you, Envy!"

Envy screamed out in rage and pain at those words.

"DON'T SAY THAT!"

_Don't say that with his voice! I don't want to heard that! It's a lie!_

"Gotcha!"

Envy was pushed to the ground, the Homunculus morphed into Edward straddling him, grabbing his hands and holding them over his head when he managed to roll onto his back. Envy struggled, snarling like a wild cat, but the other Homunculus held him down, leaning down to look straight into his eyes. Envy swallowed; those golden eyes…

"Disgusting" 'Edward' spat, frowning in his rather pouty, childish way. "And to think you must actually be enjoying this…" and as to prove his point, the female shapeshifter slammed her body down against Envy's. The Sin cried out, still struggling.

"G-Get off! Get off, bitch!"

"Are you calling _me_ a bitch?" Edward's voice teased at Envy's ears. "But Envy, I lo—"

"DON'T SAY IT, DAMMIT!"

The punch caught the female Homunculus off guard. She fell off the roof, and Envy jumped off as well and ran, feeling the whisper of the shadow tentacles chasing after him. The other Homunculus, the male one, was still lurking around. As he sprinted into an alleyway, he came face to face with Wrath, who was standing there and sniffing softly, wiping his eyes.

"W-Wrath!" Envy cried, but immediately frowned and pointed an accusing finger at the little Homunculus. "Who is 'mommy'?" he demanded, and Wrath gave him a confused look.

"L-Lust, why?"

"Which one of the roles in our 'family' did I choose myself?"

"Nii-chan, what are you talking about?"

"Answer me, Wrath!"

"Uncle Sloth's!"

"What did I tell Edward when he said he was tired of all the noise we were making?"

"…Y-You apologized."

Envy relaxed, but still felt paranoid as he approached Wrath, looking over his shoulder all the time.

"What's going on, nii-chan?"

"I've been attacked. That asshole has the old Pride's powers, and the bitch can transform like me. That's why I asked you all that, I had to check if it was really you."

"Oh… Sloth and I were attacked too, but he told me to run and hide… I'm scared, Envy…"

There was an explosion behind them, and smoke filled the air. Envy launched himself at Wrath, pushing him to the floor and shielding him with his body as black spikes shot out in every direction, one of them piercing Envy's right arm. Envy gasped, but otherwise kept silent, willing the blonde Homunculi to go away. Finally, the spikes retreated, and they heard a soft male voice:

"Come out, Sins. The time of judgment has arrived."

Envy stood up slowly, Wrath clinging to his waist all the while. He smirked, the wound on his arm healing itself quickly.

"Judgment" he chuckled. "Judgment my ass."

* * *

**Author's note: **For some reason, I particularly liked this ending! Heheh, I'll be looking forward to your reviews, people! xoxo


	5. The seven Heavenly Virtues

**Author's note: **Wow, I've just finished reading the last update to "Gegen Gott" by PockymonX3, and damn it just keeps getting better and better - or would it be worse and worse? Bleh, I'm such a masochist and a sucker for drama. Seriously though, go check it out. That's where I got the idea of making the Sins a "family", in case you've been wondering. But "Gegen Gott" is much better than this little random shit I'm handing out here. Why are you still reading this, instead of checking it out?

I seriously got confused as to what chapter I had to post next. Can I fail any harder? On the actual progress of the story, chapter 9 has been finished rather abruptly when I suddenly felt it was right. And chapter 10 is all nice and planned out, that's why I'm letting myself update again! Can readers get tired of updates?

I think I've been affected by Beyond Backup's hyperness. Shame on you. By the way, your username is epic cool.

**Warnings: **dancing squirrels in tuxedos. Badly written fighting scenes, annoying OCs, and the ever present hints at delicious yaoi. There are no dancing squirrels in tuxedos.

**

* * *

**

The Ouroboros Sign

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 5 – _The seven Heavenly Virtues_

_Envy stood up slowly, Wrath clinging to his waist all the while. He smirked, the wound on his arm healing itself quickly._

"_Judgment" he chuckled. "Judgment my ass."_

The two blonde Homunculi narrowed their eyes at Envy's choice of words.

"You make us sick" the male said, black tentacles waving around him. "Envious monster."

"Look who's talking!" Envy yelled, hugging Wrath close to himself as he felt the boy start to tremble. "You two are no better than me! Who the hell are you, anyway?"

The smoke dissipated completely, and Wrath cuddled against Envy, intimidated by the tall, majestic Homunculi.

"My name is Kindness" the female said, and the gestured towards her partner: "And he is Humility."

"Oh?" Envy tilted his head to the side. "You gotta be _fucking_ kidding me."

"Aren't those the Heavenly Virtues that oppose pride and envy?" Wrath wondered, and Envy didn't bother asking him how he knew that. Kindness nodded.

"Yes."

"But I don't see a Pride anywhere" Humility smirked. Envy took a defensive step back. "Have the Sins lost their Pride?"

"Shut up!"

In that exact moment, the wall at the end of the alleyway crumbled down, and Sloth got up slowly, lazily, rubbing his back where he had hit the wall. He looked around, spotted Envy and Wrath, and scratched his head.

"Hello, Envy. Fighting is such a pain."

From the roof, another blond Homunculus jumped down, an athletic, young-looking male with short hair and sporty white clothes. He stretched, grinning.

"Ne, but I'm having fun! Although it'd be even more fun if you'd move a little more, Sin! I can't be still for this long!"

"Diligence" Humility growled, and Envy was satisfied to see the stoic Virtue looked rather annoyed at his fellow's antics. "We didn't come here to have fun. We have to rid this country from its Sins so it can be a pure nation once again, a land worth of our Father's saving grace."

Something in Envy's mind clicked.

_Father._

So this was Father's counteroffensive. A bunch of pretty stuck-up snobs. What a waste of Philosopher's stones.

_The stone! That's it!_

And in a gesture he had picked up from seeing it so many times, Envy clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. Pieces of stone and dirt flew in every direction, the walls cracking and breaking, and in the confusion, the three Sins took the chance to escape through the hole Sloth had made. The alleyway led them to what had once been a square, now a bunch of broken columns where a violent fight was taking place. In the middle of the square, Greed sparred with a young-looking woman with long blond-white hair and a light blue dress. On another rooftop, Lust was struggling to break free from the grip of another female, who was wearing clothes that were typical of a nun, rather than a Homunculus. And right before them, Gluttony was fruitlessly trying to catch a fast, thin boy who was simply too fast for the chubby Sin.

Envy frowned. Charity. Chastity. Temperance. And when he looked up and saw a blonde boy smiling peacefully at them from the roof, and Wrath snarled dangerously from between his brother's arms, there was no doubt he was Patience. There was no need for introductions. It was war, and they were in disadvantage, being one Sin down.

They had walked straight into Father's trap.

Lust kicked Chastity off herself and jumped back, landing next to Greed, delivering a kick to Charity as she gripped Greed's vest and threw her fist back to punch him. Greed nodded his thanks to Lust as they stood back to back. Envy and Wrath rushed to their side, Gluttony following with his bouncy steps, and Sloth dragging his feet behind them. The Virtues regrouped as well, and the two factions watched each other carefully from opposite sides of the square.

Envy frowned. Humility smirked.

"Give up, envious monster" he said, and Envy twitched.

"Stop calling me that, snob!"

"We won't give up" Greed stepped forward, supporting his brother. "Not before fighting."

Humility nodded.

"We shall do our best."

"Bring it on, stuck-up sissy!"

Envy was the first one to strike, and suddenly everything was chaos. Red and blue flashes and clouds of heavy white smoke exploded all around them, confusing Sins and Virtues alike. Envy went straight at Kindness – and in the Sin's opinion, the name didn't fit her one bit! – wanting to have her head for messing with him and the Fullmetal Alchemist. That was the one thing you didn't mess with! And the bitch had also _kissed him!_ The nerve!

He extended his arm, claws reaching out, and managed to scratch Kindness's side. The girl screamed out in pain, and Envy immediately found himself surrounded by black tentacles, tiny hands creeping up his back, thighs and arms.

"Ugh! Stop that, you pervert! LUST!"

Crimson flashed, and the tentacles retreated when Lust's claws severed them clean. The woman smirked, before a strong fist hit the back of her head, pushing her to the ground effortlessly. Diligence grinned as he kicked her.

"C'mon, don't be lazy, get up!"

"LUST!"

"GAH!" Diligence shrieked and ran off as Gluttony hurried after him.

"I'm gonna eat you for hitting Lust!"

Envy watched in a trance as the huge mouth on Gluttony's belly opened, the eye of the Truth opening, black tentacles reaching out to grab Diligence, although Charity cut them off before they could reach him. Gluttony screamed out in rage and swallowed a whole column as the two Virtues jumped out of the way. Tears were rolling down the chubby, almost comical face.

An arm suddenly sneaked around Envy's neck from behind, a smaller body pressing against his own, and the Sin froze when Edward Elric's voice whispered into his ear, smooth and seductive:

"Getting distracted, Envy? Ne, I guess I'll have to regain your attention…"

Envy ignored the blush on his cheeks as he struggled to break free, but Kindness's other arm encircled his waist and squeezed with surprising strength, while the arm around Envy's neck turned into a sharp red blade. The was a slight whisper, a disgusting gurgling noise, and Envy watched in shock as his blood ran freely down his neck and check, forming a pool under his feet. Thick and dark. Crimson red. He let out a faint gasp before passing out, purple eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"ENVY!" Greed cried, pushing Chastity off himself, just to get assaulted by a hyperactive Diligence, whom in turn was sent flying back by Sloth's punch. Humility's spikes attacked the giant Homunculus then, while Kindness lunged at Greed, one of her arms stretching to wrap around the short-haired Homunculus a few times, squeezing tightly, as if attempting to make Greed explode.

There was an explosion of fire, and just as Wrath stepped forward to chase after Patience, he saw Envy lying on the floor, in a pool of blood, and Wrath's eyes widened in fear as he screamed.

"Nii-chan!"

"Dammit! Why aren't we regenerating?" Greed cried, and Sloth looked around as Patience tried fruitlessly to punch him; his little fists did nothing but annoy the much bigger Homunculus.

"They… Aren't regenerating either" the lazy Sin said, before pushing Patience away, slamming him against a wall. "So annoying…"

"Maybe that's why our Philosopher's stones are bugging us so much" Greed growled. "Perhaps they have some kind of negative effect on them."

"I don't know. I want to go to sleep."

"Ugh, Sloth! …GAH!"

"Greed?" Sloth turned around, and failed to notice the black tentacles raising behind him. He didn't realize he'd been caught until everything turned black.

Wrath was the last one standing when the sun appeared in the horizon, and he found himself surrounded by smirking white figures.

"…N-Nii-chan…"

* * *

"Nii-san?"

Alphonse knocked softly once again, and was rewarded with deathly silence from the other side.

"Nii-san, breakfast is ready…"

Silence. Alphonse frowned, reaching for the door.

"I'm coming in, okay, Nii-san?"

Silence. The knob turned.

"Excuse me…"

Edward was sitting on his bed, staring at the window with a frown. Outside, the sky was clear, the morning bathing Central in its merciful white light. However, the elder brother didn't seem pleased by this.

"They haven't come back, have they, Al?"

Alphonse bit his lower lip, looking down, and that was all the answer Edward needed. He put a hand to his forehead, sighing.

"Dammit…"

"They never said they'd be back" Alphonse pointed out suddenly. "They're Homunculi, Ed. Maybe they won the battle, stole the Philosopher's stone, and ran off with it. You shouldn't get too… _Attached_" Alphonse sat on the edge of Edward's bed, and the older blonde looked away from him, offended by the assumption that he had grown attached to the Homunculi. "Perhaps Envy lied, nii-san, we both know he's a good actor…"

"He wasn't lying, Al. Nobody acts that well" _what I saw in his eyes can't be feigned… But…_

Alphonse made a face, and then got up, sighing.

"If you're so sure… C'mon, you have to work today."

"Ugh… Report me sick again?"

"No way, nii-san. Let's go."

Edward sighed and got out of bed, following his brother downstairs without even bothering to get changed. Alphonse glanced disapprovingly at his light blue shorts, white undershirt and bare feet, but said nothing as they entered the kitchen and the older blonde collapsed on a chair, sighing.

"Today the office is gonna be hell. I don't want to think of how much work must be piled up waiting for me. I hope Hawkeye was merciful enough yesterday… Although he's been more of a bitch lately."

"Brother!" Alphonse scolded him as he placed a plate and a glass of orange juice on the table in front of his brother. "She's pregnant, mood swings are a normal thing!"

"Whatever…" Edward rested his head on his hand, staring at the glass of juice. His eyes widened the moment he realized what he was actually staring at. "Huh? No milk?"

"No…" Alphonse looked away from him, towards the front door, which was visible from his position. "No, no… Not today."

Edward blinked. _He's being nice because he thinks I'm down. But am I?_

He smiled.

"Thanks, bro. You sure know how to cheer me up."

Alphonse smiled as well.

"No problem, nii-san."

Outside, a truck passed by, the pavement creaking under its weight.

* * *

"U-Ugh… Dammit…"

When Envy woke up, the sun was high in the sky, shining mercilessly upon them. Even in winter, the desert was blazing hot at midday. The Sin got up onto his knees carefully; his body was healed, but he felt strangely weak and shaky. He stood up wobblingly, resting a hand on a column to support himself as he looked around, eyes narrowed against the strong sunlight.

Lust and Greed were both lying on the ground not too far from him, and Gluttony was sitting beside Lust, whimpering softly to himself. Sloth was slumped against a wall, Wrath curled up against his side, both sleeping soundly. Envy approached Gluttony slowly.

"Hey, dad… You okay?"

Gluttony looked up at Envy, and nodded softly.

"I'm fine, Envy. But Lust is still asleep" and as if to prove his point, the chubby Sin poked the sleeping female's side. Lust shifted, her eyes opening and a soft grunt escaping her lips.

"W-What happened?"

"Hi, mom" Envy smiled lightly, crouching down beside her, while Gluttony did a small victorious dance, chorusing:

"Lust's awake, Lust's awake!"

Lust sat up, looking around, Envy holding her by the shoulders.

"Are we still in Xerxes?"

"Yeah. And we should get moving, too, before we all get sunburns."

Lust smiled. None of them were going to get sunburns, but it was fun to pretend they were humans, that they were a family. _That they were normal_. She gripped the hand Envy offered and stood up.

"You're right, we better get moving. Is everyone awake?"

"Nope. Greed's still out cold. Sloth, carry his lazy ass back to Youswell, yeah?"

"That's such a drag. Walking back is a pain. Can't we stay here and rest more?"

"No. Now move it!"

"Envy is mean… So annoying…"

A vein popped up on Envy's forehead, but the Sin commented nothing as Sloth picked Greed up and they slowly made their way out of the ruins. The Virtues were nowhere to be seen; Wrath assured them he had seen them leave before he passed out.

"So I assume Father doesn't want us dead yet" Envy mused, and Lust nodded.

"Perhaps he's giving us the chance to go back."

"Heh. Like hell."

"You won't even consider it, mh?"

"No way."

"That's my son" the female smirked, and Envy let out a small chuckle. Wrath, who was sitting on Gluttony's shoulders, looked at his brother then.

"Envy, I saw that other Homunculus changing into Edward."

Envy stiffened and stopped walking, Sloth bumping into him from behind, pushing him to the ground.

"Oh… I pushed him. Sorry, Envy…"

"Be more careful!" Envy snarled, getting up and dusting himself off, quickly picking up his pace. "Yeah, so, Wrath?"

Wrath looked down at Gluttony's bald head.

"No… It's nothing, nii-chan. I'm glad you're okay."

Envy nodded, but inside, he was on alert. Wrath couldn't know… He couldn't know what had happened, right? He couldn't have seen him fall prey to their once-enemy's appearance. He couldn't have seen Envy kissing the female Homunculus he thought was Edward; well, more like she had kissed him while he was too stunned and dazed to do anything about it.

_But why did I let her? Would I have pushed her off, hadn't it been Edward?_

Envy's cheeks went hot, and he had to wonder whether he had actually gotten sunburned. Then he realized he was blushing, and on cue, the blush intensified. He hated himself for having such an embarrassing reaction, such a _human _reaction.

_Dammit. If now I start blushing around the shrimp, I'll have to consider suicide again._

He shivered, but hid it as they reached the town. Some people on the streets recognized them, and they showed their worry over the family's torn clothes and tired faces. Gluttony and Lust laughed it off as something that always happened when they went on expeditions, and they hurried to the station, still not decided on the next destination.

"It doesn't matter where we go now" Greed commented. He was wide awake now, and pretty flustered about having been carried across the desert like a child. He was trying to fix it up by thinking up a plan, but Envy realized he was failing miserably. "Those seven stuck-ups will beat the un-living crap out of us again. We're one Sin down."

"We need help" Envy nodded. Lust snorted.

"And who do you plan on asking? Mr. Homunculi Killer, Roy Mustang?"

Envy shivered at the thought.

"N-No, no, no way in hell I'm even going near the pyromaniac. I don't know…"

"Let's ask Ed and Al!" Gluttony chimed in, and Wrath let out a squeal.

"Yes! Alphonse-chan will surely help us!"

"I don't think that will work" Envy raised an eyebrow. "Edward is useless now, and he won't let his precious little brother fight alongside a bunch of dangerous evil Homunculi like us."

"But he defeated Father the first time" Lust contradicted. "Perhaps he can't come with us, but he can still give us a clue on what to do. I say Gluttony's right."

Gluttony grinned stupidly at Lust's words, and Envy let out a snarl of frustration.

"I can't believe… Asking him for help… _Again_…"

"You should've been Pride" Greed chuckled, and Envy glared at him.

"Well, if only stupidity were a Deadly Sin…"

"What if 'lovesick' were a sin, _Mrs. Elric_?"

"Okay, you're fucking DEAD!"

Envy lunged at Greed, effectively pinning him to the ground, but before he could punch him like he so wanted to, Sloth grabbed him by the upper arms and lifted him up in the air, pulling him away from his prey.

"Envy, not here" Lust pleaded. "People are staring. You can kill him once we reach Central."

"That a promise?" Envy angrily broke free from Sloth's grip, and fell to the floor rather ridiculously. "Ugh, dammit… Fucking greedy asshole…"

"Please, leave Envy alone, Greed" Lust helped the other Homunculus up. Greed dusted himself off, smirking.

"He still thinks we haven't noticed?"

"I think he hasn't noticed himself" the woman shook her head. "C'mon, our train is about to go. Envy, come with me, let's distract the guards."

"Hey, Envy, put less clothes on this time!"

"You shut up, Greed! God, I hate you so much, don't talk to me!"

As Lust and a female, voluptuous Envy walked away from them, Greed leaned towards Gluttony and whispered:

"Yep, he's a girl alright."

"Envy's a girl!"

Wrath giggled.

"I'd call him _onee-chan _if I didn't fear for my life!"

The train ride was very quiet, but it was a different kind of silence than that from the last time; this one was tense, uncomfortable and heavy. None of the Sins – save for Sloth, but well, that was to be expected – was asleep. Envy sat on his favourite spot beside the window, watching the sun set and cast its hated golden light once again. Greed sat beside him this time, arms crossed, a thoughtful expression on his face as he glared at the table, as if willing it to burst into flames from the sheer power of his stare. Lust sat next to the door, Wrath on her lap, and she played absentmindedly with his hair in a loving, motherly way. Envy knew Wrath's eyes were fixed on him, but he fought to ignore him; somehow, he knew the little Homunculus could practically read his mind. Gluttony was sitting across from them, hands on his lap and eyes downcast.

"Lust" he whispered suddenly, and the woman perked her head in recognition.

"Hm?"

"Will we be okay?"

"Of course we will, Gluttony."

"Oh… Okay."

And more silence. Envy clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. An inexplicable anxiety came over him, and suddenly he wished he wasn't trapped in a stuffed, hot compartment. He needed to do something and he wasn't sure what. He glanced at Greed sideways and then, without warning, he punched him on the shoulder, hard. Greed screamed from both pain and surprise, and Sloth woke up with a start.

"Huh? …Uh… How annoying…"

"What the hell was that for, Envy?"

"I was bored and you looked punch-able."

"Envious monster!"

"Greedy bastard!"

"Lovesick girl!"

"Ugly asshole!"

"Guys, stop that!" Lust snapped then, and the fighting Homunculi gave each other one last hateful glare before settling back down. Silence was restored, and it started getting on everyone's nerves. Gluttony started bouncing on his seat, and Lust's fingers tugged at Wrath's hair, annoying the boy into snapping at her and slapping her hand off. In turn, she pushed him off his lap, and hell broke loose.

"You're not a nice mommy, Lust! Nii-chan! NII-CHAN!"

"Ugh, stop calling me that, you brat!"

"Everyone is being mean to me! Why? WHY?"

Wrath's scream brought back some memories that Envy would've rather left behind, and so he snapped too.

"Wrath, shut UP!"

"I hate you all!" suddenly, the sobbing child was scooped up into Sloth's arms. The biggest Homunculus sat the boy on his lap, and patted his head clumsily. Envy half-expected the boy to bite Sloth's fingers off; however, much to his surprise, Wrath cuddled against Sloth and closed his eyes. He was obviously tired, bored, and in an overall terrible mood. Just like a child. Envy found himself smiling at the thought, and beside him, Greed gave a small chuckle.

"He's such a kid, isn't he?"

"Yeah… Too bad he had to be born in this family."

Greed's laugh woke Sloth up once again.

"So annoying…!"

"GAH! I'm sorry, Uncle Sloth! Please, no! NO!"

* * *

Alphonse Elric glanced at the clock as he walked into the living room. It was almost eight p.m., and his brother still hadn't come back. Probably Führer Mustang had kept him working late again; their rivalry hadn't diminished over the years, even when Edward was almost an adult and Roy was married and expecting a child.

Truth be told, he was worried about his brother. Edward had been affected by things before – most things related to others endangering their lives, or losing them altogether, always affected him greatly – but the younger Elric hadn't expected that the Homunculi's return would be one of those things. Especially when it came to Envy.

He hadn't been present when the Homunculus died, but from what little Edward had told him, it had been rather pathetic and tragic – the kind of thing that affected his elder brother. Perhaps that was the reason why his brother had seemed closer to Envy than any of the other Homunculi?

A knock on the door shook him out of his thoughts. He went to open it, and a smile practically split his face in two.

"Guys! You came!"

"Alphonse-chan!" Wrath threw himself into Alphonse's arms, and the boy hugged him too, stepping aside to let the other Homunculi in. They all looked tired and a little demoralized, but they also seemed happy to be back. Envy chuckled as he pried his little brother off Alphonse.

"Wrath, you'll break him. Human aren't as strong as you."

"I'm sorry… I'm just so happy to see you, Alphonse-chan!" Wrath clung to the boy's arm again, and Envy was about to tell him off again, but Alphonse stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"I'm happy to see you too, Wrath-chan. So… I must assume you've won?" Alphonse looked into Envy's eyes, and saw the little light they still held fleeing them like a candle being blown out.

"It's quite a long story…" he looked around warily, and Alphonse smiled sweetly.

"No, Envy, my brother hasn't come back yet."

"Oh… Doesn't matter."

"He's at the office" Alphonse added. "There aren't many guards, and most of them are too young to recognize you anyway."

"Oh."

"We have a car" the boy smirked then, and Envy blushed a bit, frowning.

"You want me to go pick him up?"

"It depends" Alphonse tilted his head. "Do _you_ want to? I'm sure he would be happy, but it's your choice."

"We'll tell him everything" Wrath promised, resting his head against Alphonse's arm. "C'mon, brother… Go for him!"

Envy looked down, fists tightening. How humiliating! Those two… Those two _knew_! They knew everything, he was sure! They knew something not even he could understand himself? But at the same time… At the same time, he was almost thankful.

_Just like when he understood me. Edward…_

The door was slammed shut, and Alphonse and Wrath smiled at each other.

"My brother's in love with yours, Alphonse-chan."

"Heh, they'd make such a lovely hysterical couple."

* * *

Edward could swear he was the last one leaving the headquarters that night. Even the guards were nowhere to be seen; they were probably all reunited in some room, having hot chocolate to counterattack the intense cold. As he stepped out of the building into the cold air, Edward pulled his red coat, which he wore on top of his uniform, tighter around himself. A strong gust of wind made him shiver and hang his head. He felt quite depressed, it was a familiar kind of pain that he thought he'd left behind the day Alphonse's body was restored. Now a part of that story he thought he had closed forever was resurfacing, and people were probably dying because of it – hell, even if they were just Homunculi, they were still living beings, or at least sort of. Creatures with feelings, wishes, loved ones… Just like humans, but less vulnerable.

Edward sighed. The full moon was shining bright, but to him, it would be just another stormy night to fight through.

"Ne, chibi-san! Want a ride?"

The blonde's eyes widened, and he looked up instantly, mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief.

"_Envy!"_

Envy smirked, crossing his arms and leaning back against the car. He looked too pale under the moonlight, eyes twinkling as he tilted his head to the side, long black hair shifting with the movement, glittering in silver and greenish tones. The Homunculus opened the passenger door, and gestured for Edward to go in.

"C'mon, it's freezing here."

Edward felt a sudden urge growing inside him, making his muscles tense and twitch.

"You're back."

"Yep!" Envy grinned cheerfully. "We didn't beat Father, but at least we're back in one piece, ne? Wasn't that what you wanted, O'chibi-san?"

"Y-You asshole!"

And before Envy could process what was going on, Edward's arms were around his neck, their bodies pressed close together and a pair of warm lips whispering into his ear:

"You had me worried, you idiot."

At first, Envy blushed like mad, feeling the impulse to push Edward away and scream his head off at him. However, a second later, he relaxed and clumsily put his arms around Edward as well, as if trying to comfort him – and himself at the same time.

"I'm sorry, O'chibi-san."

* * *

**Author's note: **Next chapter is very, very stupid, dramatic, angsty, and contains real yaoi - at fucking last! I don't mean to spoil you. It's just that, if you want to stop reading this fic, now is a good time! Heheh, kidding. Seriously, next chapter is probably the worst I've written, and also my favourite. You still with me?

xoxo!


	6. A high price

**Author's note: **Now I'll go and hide. I'll talk when this is over.

**Warnings: **I have a bad feeling about this chapter. I seriously do! And that's sad because it's also the one I like the most... So, the actual warnings: yaoi, angst, what you could maybe consider an OOC Envy (but seriously, he's been OOC during the WHOLE freaking story!) and overall randomness. You still with me? Let's see if you still are by the end of the chapter!

* * *

**The Ouroboros Sign**

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 6 – _A high price_

"So… What happened?"

The pavement creaked softly under the wheels of the car. Envy drove at a deliberately low speed, purposefully taking the long way home so they would have more time to talk. He was certain the other Homunculi would give the younger Elric, Alphonse, a more 'suitable for children' version of the story, and he wanted Edward to know exactly what they were up against.

"Father created another seven Homunculi" Envy explained, long pale fingers tapping on the wheel. Edward stared at him attentively, the only movement being his eyes blinking and his chest moving up and down with every breath he took.

"Another set, huh?" he checked, just to encourage Envy to keep talking, because the Sin seemed distracted and lost in his thoughts. Envy reacted, nodding.

"Yeah. Ironically, they're named after some virtues or whatever."

"The seven Heavenly Virtues?"

"I thought you were an atheist."

"Doesn't mean I've never heard of them" Edward yawned. "Still, they sound like the kind of religious fanatics I wouldn't enjoy talking to. I'd rather have you sinners instead."

Envy chuckled, trying not to look too happy at the implication.

"Yeah… But still, it wasn't an even match. They beat us up pretty badly. I guess we do need a Pride…" Envy looked out through the window, thoughtfully, the full moon reflecting in his eyes. "I thought we were stronger than before, but we were no match… That was pretty humiliating…" Envy gritted his teeth. "And that damn shapeshifter… Taking _your_ form, such a low blow…"

"Wait" Edward's eyes went wide at that, and Envy realized a little too late that he had spilled something he hadn't planned on telling. "A shapeshifter like you? He took my form?"

"_She _did it. Like three times or so" Envy admitted, stopping the car in front of Edward's house and putting a hand to his forehead, sighing. "I was so foolish to fall for it… She wouldn't stop bugging me, telling me… _Things_."

"Things?" Edward cocked his head to the side, waiting for the Sin to expand on the subject. Envy looked at him and swallowed, a rosy blush forming on his cheeks.

"Insults" he lied. "She told me… Insults."

Edward frowned. He didn't believe Envy one bit, but it was obvious the Homunculus was very uncomfortable with the subject, and so he played along just for the sake of getting rid of that troubled expression on Envy's face.

"So… You think you'll need help to beat the Virtues, and then…?"

"And then we find out about Father's location and put an end to this. Ta-dah."

"Seems fairly easy."

"Not as long as we're one Sin down and we can't beat the stuck-up fanatics."

Edward frowned, eyes downcast, and Envy felt alarmed at his expression. It looked sad, troubled, almost _hurt_. And Envy realized, with horror, that he would do anything to get Edward to smile again. _Anything._

"Ugh!"

Edward looked back at Envy, shocked when he saw the Sin hiding his face into his hands and resting his forehead against the wheel, shaking lightly.

"E-Envy?"

"What the hell is wrong with me, Ed?"

Warm human hands rested on the Homunculus' shoulders, gripping them softly, comfortingly, but Envy only shivered at the contact, letting out another pained whine. The stone in his chest, his _heart_, was once again pulsing frantically, and he was too aware of the warmth of Edward's hands and the soft whisper of his breathing. He could see Edward's eyes in his mind, even when he wasn't looking at the alchemist, all those tempting shadows of gold swirling, drawing him in. He could still feel that _kiss_, because even if it hadn't really been Edward, he had thought it was him in that moment, and it was still his first kiss and still with Edward. And he liked that, try as he might to deny it, he couldn't stop the happiness that bubbled up inside him, though stained with the bitterness of knowing he had been fooled. But for once second, for the time those lips he thought to be Edward's were pressed tightly to his own, he had felt good. Complete. Perfect.

For once, he had been glad he was himself, and not someone else. For once, he didn't _envy _anyone.

All because of Edward.

Envy looked up at him, and his eyes were just as he had imagined. The Homunculus felt tears running down his own cheeks, and he did nothing to stop them, because he couldn't understand why he was crying or why he was thinking about those things, or why he felt he would gladly tear his life source from his chest a million times just to be able to look into Edward's golden eyes for another second.

It was irrational, crazy, and something Envy couldn't understand.

"Why?" he whispered, his voice broken with sobs. "Why, Ed? Why? Why? Why, why, why? WHY?"

Edward watched the Sin break down, frowning and biting his lower lip in worry as his hands drew circles on Envy's shoulder blades, hoping to provide at least a little comfort.

"Why you?" Envy whispered. "Why? You… You're a pathetic human… The most pathetic of them all, and yet… And yet I…" purple eyes were squeezed shut as Envy let out a frustrated cry. "I just can't understand why! Why?"

"Envy, calm down" Edward begged. He didn't exactly enjoy seeing people in pain or distress, and Envy was beyond that by then, choked sobs shaking his body as trembling hands hid his flushed face from the boy's eyes.

"D-Don't look at me!" Envy begged, and Edward looked away almost instantly, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face. "How humiliating…! C-Crying like this in front of you…! It's so humiliating!"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Envy…"

"Shut up! J-Just shut up, you sprout! Midget! Pipsqueak! Shrimp! Shorty!"

Edward frowned at this, but fought to put his anger aside. Still, some of it filtered when he firmly pried Envy's hands off the Sin's face, forcing him to look up. Envy blushed more, grimacing. He didn't want to be seen like this, dammit! Dressed like a common human, crying in a car at nine in the evening with Edward Elric! It was the most humiliating thing since his death!

"Envy, stop whining and tell me what the hell is going through that underdeveloped brain of yours so I can help you sort it out!"

"I don't know what's going on, Ed! I just know it's somehow _your _fault! Why you? Why can't I stop thinking of you ever since you saved me from that bastard pyromaniac? Since you stood up for me and… For fuck's sake, Fullmetal, you _protected me!_"

Edward was taken aback by this, and the memory slowly sunk in. Mustang wanted to burn Envy to a painful, humiliating death, and he had taken the little lizard-like being and prevented the Flame Alchemist from finishing him off. In that moment, his intention hadn't exactly been that of protecting Envy, he simply didn't want the man to be caught up in his own fire, in his thirst for revenge. But of course, Envy had been hurt and scared and on the verge of death, and to have someone stopping someone else from finishing him off… _Envy felt protected by me_, Edward concluded, _and now it seems he's… Hum… Obsessed with me or something like that. Infatuated, maybe?_

So in a sense, he actually was somewhat responsible for the feelings that were tearing the Sin from the inside out.

_Bye-bye… Edward… Elric…_

The Homunculus' final words had referred to him.

"Envy… Do you like me?"

* * *

"I'm so sorry to hear all this, you guys…"

Alphonse looked down at the mug of hot chocolate he was holding in his hands. He was sitting on the couch, Wrath and Greed on each side of him, while Lust sat at an armchair she had dragged closer to the fire, Gluttony crouching by her feet, swallowing some cookies Alphonse had given him. Sloth was slumped down on the stairs, snoring loudly.

"Don't worry" Lust waved it off. "We'll figure out a way to defeat them."

"We could use a Pride" Greed admitted. "But we can't just go and make a Homunculus, we're not even sure how."

"We could give a Philosopher's stone to a human, but how can we be sure that will work?" Lust shrugged. "And besides, humans are unreliable little beasts – no offense meant, Alphonse-kun, but that's the way it is."

"I know" Alphonse looked up at her. "I'd love to help you guys, but I'm not sure how useful I could be…"

"Alphonse-chan is a powerful alchemist!" Wrath grinned, and Alphonse's eyes suddenly lit up.

"That's it! You guys have Philosopher's stones inside you, right?" there was a round of general nodding, and Alphonse continued. "You should learn to use alchemy like nii-san and I do!"

There was silence for a few seconds, and then Gluttony looked down at his own cubby, tanned hands.

"You mean… By clapping our hands?"

"Hum, well, not necessarily…" Alphonse scratched his head, smiling sheepishly, until he noticed Wrath's serious expression.

"Nii-chan used alchemy back in Xerxes" the small Homunculus said then. "He clapped his hands like Fullmetal does. I want to learn that too."

"I'll talk to nii-san then!" Alphonse replied, almost excitedly, a childish smile on his face. "Perhaps we can train you!"

"WHAT? Alphonse-chan would be my teacher? That's…!" but Wrath was so excited that he couldn't even finish his phrase, and he simply let himself collapse against the couch, sighing dreamily. "Life's good, yes, it is…"

"It's a very good idea" Lust smiled at Alphonse. "We can discuss it later with your brother. We hadn't thought of becoming stronger ourselves…"

"More power!" Greed laughed. "Hah! I want it, I want it all! And the little envious palm tree will be delighted to possess someone else's abilities!"

"I wanna blow up stuff, Alphonse-chan!"

"Hum, Wrath-chan, I don't think you should learn that…"

"Pretty please?"

"Okay, maybe I can teach you."

"Yay!"

Suddenly, the door flew open. Everyone turned and stared in shock as Envy stepped in, tears rolling freely down his flushed face, an expression of pure desolation in his eyes as he sobbed, avoiding everyone's gaze and hurrying upstairs, almost tripping on Sloth on his way. A seconds later, a door slammed shut, just as Edward walked into the house, lowering his eyes guiltily. Alphonse was in front of him with his hands on his hips in a flash, while Wrath, Greed and Lust rushed after Envy, and Gluttony took advantage of the confusion to wander into the kitchen to spend some quality time with the fridge.

"Edward" Alphonse's stare was dead serious as Edward fidgeted uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at his younger, yet taller and much more mature brother. "I know this is getting old, but what did you do to him this time?"

Edward's shoulders slumped as he looked up at his brother, his eyes those of a child who has just done something naughty without realizing the consequences his actions could have.

"Al, Envy told me… He told me he's in love with me."

Shock was the understatement of the century to describe Alphonse's face. The younger Elric's mouth hung open, eyes wide, a hand slowly flying up to cover his mouth as he swallowed and whispered, very softly:

"And what did you say?"

Edward shivered, rubbing his right arm with his left hand.

"Well, I told him I don't mind being friends, but… That I don't really like him back… I mean, I like him now, but… Not in that way. And he broke down crying and fled the car. Did I do wrong?"

Alphonse tried to smile despite the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"In fact, brother… No. You did the right thing. But you hurt him."

"I didn't mean to…!"

"It can't be helped. He has to get over it."

Edward walked to the armchair and collapsed on it, sighing.

"I don't feel good."

"Do you need—"

"Al, _please_" the older blonde sighed. He knew he'd been sincere, he had told Envy exactly how he felt… Well, more or less anyway. But he didn't like Envy like that! He'd have to get over it… But God, that heartbroken look in his eyes… "Envy didn't even know what he was feeling until I helped him realize. I shouldn't have said anything, dammit! But he was in so much pain, Al, I couldn't stand it!"

"But you did tell him you care about him, right?"

"Well… Hum, more or less, yeah…"

"He does know how worried about him you were, right?"

"Yeah, I think I mentioned it…"

"Did you tell him about your dream?"

"I don't want him to have a wrong impression, Al. I don't want to give him false expectations. It would be too cruel."

Alphonse nodded sadly, sitting down on one end of the couch, next to his brother.

"Al…"

"Nii-san…"

They looked at each other, and Edward smiled lightly.

"You first."

"Okay… You know, since the Sins had trouble with the Virtues… We were thinking that maybe we could teach them how to use alchemy, so they would have another weapon against them. What do you think?"

"It could work" Edward nodded. "I hadn't thought about it. Good idea, Al."

"Thanks" Alphonse grinned. "So… What did you want to tell me?"

Edward entwined his fingers, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands.

"It just occurred to me… I don't have alchemy anymore. Technically, I'm useless."

"Ed, you're not—"

"No, no, let me finish. I am useless now; I'm only human, and if I tried to help the Sins, I'd be a hindrance to everyone. Envy more than anyone, since he'd be worried about my safety."

"Nii-san… What's your point?"

"Envy said they needed a Pride."

"Yeah…"

Edward's eyes glinted red with the flames cracking in the fireplace.

"Was that a Philosopher's stone in Envy's necklace, Alphonse?"

* * *

Upstairs, in Edward's room, Envy had calmed down a little. The full-blown sobbing had subdued to soft sniffles, the purple eyes bloodshot and shiny with fresh tears. The Homunculus was curled up into a fetal position, hugging the pillow while Lust sat beside him, stroking his hair, and Wrath tried his best to cheer him up. Greed, on the other hand, was standing by the window, trying to catch some fresh air because he couldn't shake the urge to go downstairs and beat the living daylights out of Edward Elric. Envy had suffered enough in his life already!

"I don't see what the point was in making you say it when all he was gonna say was that he doesn't love you back" the short-haired Homunculus pointed out, Envy wincing at the words.

"I-I don't know" he admitted, rubbing his eyes with one arm. "I-I feel like crap… He humiliated me… Why…?" Envy curled up more, and Lust hugged him softly, whispering soothingly into his ear:

"Envy, honey, it's okay. Sleep for a while, you'll feel much better tomorrow…"

"N-No…" Envy shook his head, closing his eyes. "No, I won't feel better tomorrow, nor the day after tomorrow, or the day after that!"

"You say that now because you're sad" Wrath tried to smile, although it came out rather awkwardly. "Just like I said I hated you when I was angry. Then it goes away and you don't feel angry anymore… Or sad, in your case!"

"Wrath is right" Lust nodded, and Greed clicked his tongue.

"C'mon, snakey, have some pride. Are you gonna cry over that midget asshole? You're better than that, man, you're _Envy_! Crying over a filthy _human_? Wake up!"

Envy frowned at Greed, muttering a hoarse "Shut up", but he relaxed visibly and the other three Homunculi felt satisfied. They stayed until Envy had stopped crying completely, although the hurt emptiness in his eyes hadn't entirely left. As they were about to tell Envy they should go somewhere else, there was a knock on the door. Lust went to answer, Envy not even flinching when he heard Edward's voice:

"You can stay in my room tonight, guys…"

"Thank you, Edward" Lust said, somewhat coldly. Yes, it wasn't Edward's fault… But she had never seen Envy like that before. She has in all her right to be pissed at the ex-alchemist. There were a few seconds of silence, and then Edward asked, probably thinking Envy was asleep:

"H-How is he?"

"How do you think he is?" Greed snapped, walking over to the door, cracking his fists. Envy's only reaction was a blink of his eyes and the slight drift of purple pupils following his brother, and then he was back to staring at the wall and breathing slowly, deeply. "He's devastated, of course! He didn't even know what love was before meeting you, and you're being the worst possible teacher, shrimp!"

"Oi, I'm not to blame for not liking him back! Stuff like this happens all the time!"

"Not to us Homunculi! We're not even supposed to feel stuff like this! It's like punching a newborn, he's not used to this pain!"

"Stop talking about me like I'm not even here."

Both Edward and Greed froze, and their eyes turned towards Envy, who was sitting on the bed and glaring at both of them. The Homunculus pointed at Greed.

"You, in" and then, he pointed at Edward. "You, out."

For a few seconds, Greed hesitated, but then Edward whispered a "goodnight" and left, and the door clicked shut. Envy lied back on the bed, moving to give Wrath some room to sleep there as well. The younger-looking Homunculus wrapped an arm around Envy's torso, cuddling up to him.

"I love you, nii-chan" he said, and Envy smiled and hugged him as well.

"Thanks, Wrath."

Gluttony entered the room a few minutes later, arms full with the food he had stolen from the Elrics' kitchen, and the mood lightened a little as they enjoyed the sweets Alphonse was certainly saving for some special occasion. Envy found himself especially fond of chocolate cake – and he also made sure to make as much of a mess on Edward's bed as he could, which derived in a food fight that kept Wrath, Greed and him entertained for a while, and once they were tired it simply became a game of throwing food at Gluttony and seeing him swallow it with a stupid grin on his face.

Envy was still miserable. But he felt a little better.

* * *

"Hey… Envy…"

Envy's eyes opened slowly. Everything was dark, and someone was whispering his name. He knew that voice to well; it was the voice that had broken his heart. Edward's soft, beautiful, deadly voice.

"What do you want, shrimp?" Envy muttered, voice throaty with sleep, and the dark figure at the door twitched.

"Who are you calling…?" but he stopped there, sighing. "Envy, come downstairs with me. We need to talk."

"I don't wanna talk to you, pipsqueak. Get lost."

"Please, Envy… Please."

Minutes later, a fire was cracking in the fireplace again, as Envy and Edward sat facing each other on the couch. Edward looked visibly nervous, as if he were unsure about something, while Envy forced himself to keep looking into the golden eyes before him, even if he felt his eyes tearing up at the sight of the beautiful swirling pools.

_Envy, do you like me?_

The question had caught him off guard. His cheeks had gone red, his eyes wide, and had he had a heart, it would've been thumping madly inside his chest. The Philosopher's stone started pulsing softly instead, and he swallowed a lump in his throat.

_I-I don't know what you're talking about, Ed._

_Do you like me? You know, when you think too much about someone, and you want to be around them, and… Well, all that… It usually means you're in love with them._

Edward had been vague, shy, nervous while talking about the subject. But it all made perfect sense, and suddenly something clicked inside Envy's mind, and all the pieces came together. And the question he had repeated until his throat almost tore up – _Why? Why? WHY? _– suddenly had the perfectly clear, sensible answer.

Because he had fallen in love with Edward the moment the boy had held him in his hands and shielded him from Roy Mustang's flames.

_So… This is… Love?_

_Well, it… It kinda sounds like it, Envy… Uh…_

_I think that's it. I… I really think I'm in love with you, Ed._

He shouldn't have accepted it, but then again, he would've accepted anything, because he was so horribly desperate. But when Edward said the word 'love', it became much more clear. Envy had never experienced what love was, but he had observed humans and envied them long enough to know some things, and he realized he had been pretty much acting like a human that's in love with another. Even Greed had teased him, telling him he was 'lovesick'; and now he understood why.

But he shouldn't have said anything.

_Oh… T-That's okay, I guess, Envy… I-I don't think I like you that way, but… We can be friends, if you want…_

Edward hadn't known what to say, trying so hard not to hurt him, but before Envy knew it, he was crying and running away, and Edward didn't call out to him because he knew the Sin wouldn't come back.

And now they were together and alone again, and Envy could hardly stand looking at Edward. The humiliation he felt, the shame, the pain… He broke eye contact, looking down, and Edward reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Envy, look at me."

Envy winced, but complied, and when he looked up, he found Edward's face much closer than it had been before. He blushed and whimpered, trying to pull away, but something about the boy's golden eyes made him stop and relax a bit. He was already heartbroken; hearing out what Edward had to say couldn't hurt anymore than he already was.

"Alright" he sighed, and Edward smiled, not pulling back, his hand still holding Envy's.

"I'm sorry" he started. "First of all, I'm sorry for being an asshole to you before you left to Xerxes. Secondly, I'm sorry for pressing you into talking last night, I… I was really worried about you" it was clearly visible that the alchemist was having a hard time admitting that, and Envy somewhat appreciated the gesture, even though he feared what would come next. "And… I'm sorry…" Edward's voice became a barely audible whisper, and Envy was forced to lean closer to be able to hear him – and he could see him blush and lower his gaze, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes. "I'm sorry for saying I don't love you."

Envy pulled away, blushing too, staring at Edward in disbelief. Sure, the alchemist had hurt him and he knew it, but as far as he was concerned, telling the truth was what humans considered 'the right thing to do'. Why was Edward apologizing, then?

"You humans sure are stupid" Envy shook his head. "Look, the truth is the truth. Don't feel sorry for me, I hate that."

"No, Envy, you don't understand…"

"What? You hurt me. Yes. You did" Envy nodded coldly, ignoring Edward's fearful expression as the boy looked up at him. "But it's okay. I told you the truth, and you told me your truth. Equivalent exchange, ne?" none of them laughed at the pathetic attempt at a joke – had it been a joke at all? "It's okay. Just give me time to get over it. I don't even understand why I'm hurt in the first place."

"You don't?" Edward was rather put out by that. "Hum… Well, nevermind. What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry I said that because I'm… I'm not really sure about how I feel."

Envy blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

"I don't understand."

"No wonder" Edward snorted, looking away. His cheeks were redder than Envy's, and he fidgeted nervously with the zipper of a cushion. "What I mean is, I told you I don't love you, but… I don't really know that. Envy…" Edward looked down, his hair hiding his face away. He looked tense, and suddenly, Envy wished he hadn't said anything. Not because of Edward's reaction to his confession, but because of the trouble it was causing the very person he had admitted to loving.

"Ed, I don't want you to feel you _have_ to like me back" he commented, not even sure where those words came from. His body and mind were on autopilot. Edward gave him an angry, serious glare.

"You idiot! I wouldn't lie to you like that!"

"Then how come you were so sure before, and now you're hesitating, huh? How come, chibi-san?"

"Don't you go 'why, why, why' on me again, Envy! I'm being pretty fucking serious here, so you better hear me out!"

"I don't want to hear you say something and then regret it like you're doing just now!"

"You're an idiot, Envy!"

"And you're a tiny little midget!"

That was it; Edward lunged at Envy, pushing him back. The back of Envy's head hit the arm of the couch, and the Homunculus gasped at the slight pain. However, before he could complain, his wrists were grabbed by warm hands and he was pinned down against the couch. Edward looked down at him for a few seconds, intensely, and he stared back with the same intensity. Edward's hair was down, slightly ruffled, his cheeks were red and his eyes were so bright…

_Damn, I love him. I love him so much. He's so fucking beautiful._

And Edward frowned and leaned down, his lips capturing Envy's in a searing, passionate kiss, and Envy felt as if a light had gone off in his brain. In that moment, nothing mattered; even the kiss between him and the other shapeshifter was a dull black-and-white memory compared to what he was feeling right then. His arms encircled Edward's waist, pulling him down on top of himself, and one of Edward's hands cupped his face, while the other slid down to unbutton the rest of the green shirt he was still wearing. Warm fingers grazed his exposed skin and Envy squirmed, gasping, Edward's lips still on his own making it hard for him to think clearly about what he was feeling.

He had never experienced pleasure like this before. He gripped Edward's waist tightly, unsure of how to react. The boy broke the kiss then, panting heavily, his hand still caressing the Homunculus' chest, up and down. Envy closed his eyes, moaning lightly, unable to control himself.

"E-Ed…" he breathed out, and Edward hid his face into the crook of Envy's neck, still panting as his right arm snuck around Envy's torso.

"Don't ever call me midget again" he warned, although it wasn't that menacing when his voice sounded so breathless. Yet Envy could only nod, intoxicated, lost in the sensations he was feeling.

"Ed…" he whispered again, and Edward sat up.

"Envy, look at me."

And this time, Envy didn't fear doing it. Edward had a decided expression on his face as his hand trailed up Envy's chest to touch the Philosopher's stone that the small necklace-snake had in its mouth. The stone twinkled as Edward looked at Envy in the eyes, deeply, caressing the Homunculus' cheek.

"I want to be Pride."

* * *

**Author's note: **So, this is it. The damned sixth chapter is up, and now that you've finished it and are still reading this (and I hope it's not out of disgust or in search of an excuse for this epic failure of mine), I'm ready to share some random facts. First of all, the scene in the car was inspired by the scene of Envy's death in the manga - it's the scene that sparked most of this story, and the one I use to justify Envy's love for Ed, so there.

Also, the dialogue where Envy tells Greed to stay in and Ed to stay out is inspired by the Naruto manga, when Naruto is being born and his father says something along the lines of "Naruto, come out! Kyuubi, stay in!" or something of the like. A shout out to my best friend Vicucha-sc for showing me such a lulzy moment!

This chapter is dedicated to MaybeTommorrow and PockymonX3 for making me hyperventilate when I saw my two favourite Edvy authors had reviewed this bunch of random stuff I shamelessly call a fanfic. Seriously, stop wasting your time with me and go check their fics ("Master" and "Gegen Gott") out!

Finally, a little justification for this. I had planned it out differently; Envy was going to suffer a little longer. But for Ed to want to make such a high sacrifice for Envy as wanting to become Pride himself, I needed him to feel more strongly about our dear sexy palm tree. Besides, I'm not such a fan of angst that lasts for ten chapters straight. I'd rather have little angsty moments that are solved in one or two chapters. And finally, I really wanted to get to the yaoi, fuck it.

I know this was lame, but in my defense I can say that the plot is finally starting, and the best (I hope) is yet to come! So if you stay with me, I can promise you juicy yaoi scenes - higher rated every chapter, I've noticed - and maybe even lemon! So, we still friends? Yes?

Longest author's note ever. xoxo!


	7. The jealous type

**Author's note: **I'm stunned at how many reviews the last chapter got! Thank you, everyone! I can feel the love, yep yep!

**Warning: **yaoi (seriously, after last chapter, it's kinda stupid to put it here - but I just like to write "yaoi" everywhere I can!), creeping out of an innocent blond kid, several paragraphs of randomness, and Envy hating on Winry (wasn't that to be expected? No?).

* * *

**The Ouroboros Sign**

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 7 – _The jealous type_

_The stone twinkled as Edward looked at Envy in the eyes, deeply, caressing the Homunculus' cheek._

"_I want to be Pride."_

The first rays of sun started filtering through the curtains. Envy sat up, holding Edward on his lap, the blonde blushing lightly at the position they were in.

"You… Want to be Pride?" Envy repeated, incredulously. "You actually want to become a Homunculus like me?" the Homunculus touched the stone on his necklace, and Edward nodded, looking down.

"I'm useless this way. I can't use alchemy anymore, and I don't want to be a hindrance. I want to fight alongside you, Envy, and this is the best way I found."

"You're aware that the stone contains souls of living humans."

"Yes."

"You're aware that you'll be consuming their energy and using them."

"Yes."

"You're aware that you won't have any more human needs, but that you won't even be considered human anymore."

"Yes."

"And yet you still want to become a Homunculus?"

Edward tilted his head, his fingers cupping Envy's cheek.

"Yes" he whispered, and something in his voice made Envy tense up and blush, sweat sliding down his temple. Edward placed his arms around the Sin's neck and pressed his forehead to Envy's. "Don't ask me why, but I really want to do this. I want to help you. To be with you" the blonde closed his eyes, his lips grazing Envy's. "I'm falling in love with you, Envy…"

"Don't be silly, shorty. You just told me you didn't love me hours ago."

"Hey, stop that! I already told you I wasn't sure!"

"Then how do you know you like me now?"

But instead of replying, Edward grabbed Envy's hand and placed it on his own chest, over his heart. Envy's eyes widened; he could feel the thumping, fast and rhythmical, of the boy's heart under his palm. A strange urge shook him, a mix of wanting to cry and to hug Edward tightly. He did none, though, and Edward smiled sheepishly at him.

"Can you feel it?"

"Yes… It's beating fast…"

"I know" Edward blushed a bit. Envy caught the drift immediately; the alchemist's heart was beating fast because of him. Because Edward was in love with him. This time, he did give into the temptation of hugging Edward, pulling him close, caressing his long blond hair.

"Ed, I don't know…"

"I want to protect you" Edward whispered, kissing Envy's cheek. "Just like I protected you against Mustang… I want to…"

"And what about Alphonse?"

"I already told him. He understood it, he even helped me realize what the feelings I have for you are."

"Oh, so you needed his help?"

"Put that smirk off your face or I'll have to do it myself, Envy."

"That a challenge, sexy shorty?"

Edward blushed, their little playful fighting forgotten for a second, before his brain processed the rest of Envy's words.

"Hey, you called me short again! Don't. Do. That!"

Edward leaned forward, but Envy was ready this time, and he captured the blonde's lips with his own, pushing him back softly until Edward was on his back, the Homunculus on top of him, kissing him hungrily. The alchemist's fingers lost themselves in Envy's hair, while the Sin stroked the boy's side, lifting up his shirt to caress his burning skin. Edward broke the kiss, panting heavily, and looked up at Envy's dark, lustful eyes.

"You should've been Lust" he gasped out, and Envy chuckled.

"Seems I should've been anyone but myself."

"I'm glad you're you" Edward tilted his head back, allowing Envy to kiss his neck softly. "Mhh… I was such an idiot yesterday…"

"Don't think about that."

"You make it easy… Envy…"

So caught up in their making out session they were, that they didn't even notice the soft footsteps of someone coming downstairs, and the noise of that same someone tripping over Sloth in the darkness and falling down the rest of the stairs. They did hear, however, Alphonse's complaining:

"Ow, shit!"

Envy froze, Edward pushing him away and both of them sitting up in a flash, flushed and, in Edward's case, breathing fast. Alphonse noticed he was being stared at, and turned to see his brother and the Homunculus looking at him guiltily, as if they had just been caught doing something naughty.

Which was exactly the case.

"Hum… Good morning, guys…" Alphonse scratched his head, embarrassedly, and when his elder brother's stare turned into an evil warning glare, he raised his hands in defense. "I-I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, Ed, I swear!"

"Good" Edward nodded. "I would've told you anyway" he added with a slight smirk, and Envy rested his arms on the back of the couch and his head atop them.

"Yeah, the other Homunculi will find out as well, so I'll tell them too."

"What?" Edward shrieked. "No, no, you can't tell them! I'll never live it down!"

"They're my family" Envy snarled. "And they'll be happy for me after seeing me cry like a freaking girl because of you" he added, evilly, and Edward looked down.

"I already said I'm sorry."

"I'm just teasing you, silly. So, little brother" Envy smirked at Alphonse. "What's in the menu for breakfast?"

Alphonse giggled.

"Well, I think the only thing you want now is my brother…"

"A-AL!"

"The boy knows his stuff" Envy chuckled, and Alphonse grinned and headed into the kitchen.

"But if you want something else with your Ed, I'm gonna make pancakes, thanks to Gluttony. He woke me up just for that."

The younger blonde disappeared into the kitchen, leaving an amused Envy and a very flustered Edward behind. The alchemist crossed his arms, pouting.

"When did he grow up? I didn't even notice…"

"Getting nostalgic, ne?" Envy lied down on the couch, resting his head on Edward's lap, closing his eyes. The boy smiled and caressed his hair. "Perhaps you should reconsider your plan of becoming Pride…"

"Envy, don't bring that up again. My decision is final."

"Nothing I say or do will change your mind?"

"No. By the way, are you the jealous type?"

Envy looked up at Edward, blinking.

"Huh… What?"

"You know, jealous. For example, if I ever flirted with someone else…"

Envy thought about it for a second, and then frowned.

"I'd fucking kill you."

"Thought so" Edward giggled. "You _are_ Envy, after all."

* * *

The news were received with surprised acceptance by the other Homunculi. When Envy, puzzled, asked for the reason of such tranquility, Greed shrugged and replied:

"I knew Fullmetal had the hots for you ever since I saw you two at the door. Oh, and we all suspected it."

"Am I that readable?" Edward wondered, worried, and smiled at the comforting arm Envy put around his shoulders.

Next was the discussion on how to go about Edward's plan. He couldn't simply become an Homunculus overnight and then carry on with his normal life; especially not when his job meant going into the military headquarters every single day. Someone was meant to notice, and questions would be asked. And it was too wishful to think that explaining everything would solve it, because the military was bound to distrust a bunch of Homunculi. But Edward couldn't disappear either. The sun was already high in the sky when the elder Elric finally decided on what to do.

"Okay, we're going to Resembool. Tonight, I'll transform. Then you, Al, will come back to Central and tell Roy that I've decided to go on a trip with Winry, and that you'll be replacing me meanwhile. I'll give you my silver watch" Edward looked at his brother in the eyes, smiling at the fiery decision in them. Alphonse was, obviously, one-hundred-percent with him. As always. "You'll put it to better use than me. And we…" Edward looked at Envy, unsure. "Hum… I don't know about us."

"Alphonse-chan promised me he'd teach us alchemy!" Wrath exploded then, and Edward raised his eyebrows at his brother, who blushed lightly.

"Hum… Well, that _is _true…"

"It seems the trip will be a little longer, then" Lust shrugged. "He can give Mustang your excuse when he comes back."

"I don't like that excuse much" Envy admitted, frowning. "Why do you have to tell him you're on a trip with that girl, Ed?"

"Because if I told him I'm on a quest to destroy Father with the Homunculi I used to fight, he's bound to ask for explanations. Now stop being jealous and help."

"We could go back to Xerxes" Greed commented. "It's deserted, secluded, and nobody will notice a few alchemical explosions and seven of us running around with an alchemist."

Edward had mixed feelings about being included amongst those seven, although it was nice of Greed to take him into account. So now he would be a part of their little _family_; that wasn't half bad. Under the table, his hand brushed Envy's.

"Sounds like a plan" Edward nodded. "And… Well, going to Resembool means I can say goodbye to Winry and Auntie Pinako, too" the blonde looked at his brother again, and Alphonse smiled and nodded.

"What are you gonna tell them, though, nii-san?"

"Hum… I'll tell them I'm being moved to Briggs. Yeah. That's far away enough."

"Smooth, Fullmetal" Envy chuckled, and Greed gave him a sneaky look.

"Yeah, great way to shake his girlfriend off so he can run away with you, Env'!"

"Shut up, greedy brat!"

"She's not even my girlfriend!"

"So it's settled" Alphonse sighed, turning to the sink and starting to wash the dishes. "Wow. It seems we won't be seeing much of each other after I come back to Central, nii-san…"

Edward bit his lower lip, and that was the cue for the Homunculi to leave; they literally vanished, leaving the brothers alone, and Edward got up and walked up to Alphonse, placing both hands on the younger one's shoulders. They hadn't been apart ever since Alphonse recovered his body and Edward his missing limbs; sometimes, when he woke up in the morning, the elder brother still feared to find the empty shell of the armor staring at him with shiny red eyes, forgiving and accusing at the same time. Having Alphonse around all the time, every morning and every night, meant he could always check and double check that the boy was still safe, still with him, still human. He didn't know how he would cope with being apart from him.

"If you don't want me to do this, just say so and I'll refuse."

Alphonse turned to face his brother, still holding a plate in his hand. Edward's eyes were clear, honest.

"You'd do that for me, nii-san?"

"I'd do anything for you. You know that."

Alphonse smiled, setting the plate down on the counter and leaning back against it, smirking.

"Then leave me your red coat. Become the strongest of all Homunculi. And be happy with Envy."

Edward stared at his brother for a few seconds, stunned, feeling tears prickling behind his eyes. He loved that boy more than anything, they had been through hell together and had done so much for each other, and Alphonse was still there for him, after everything, even when he was about to give up his humanity to help the ones that had once been their enemies.

"Y-You…" he tried to tell his brother how he felt, to thank him, but he didn't know how to put it all into words, so he simply threw his arms around Alphonse, holding him close as he fought back the tears, and Alphonse patted his hair softly, smiling knowingly.

"It's okay, Ed. I know."

* * *

Envy had to reconsider his hate for train rides as they travelled down south towards the Elrics' hometown. For once, they had actually bought the tickets, thanks to Edward's mysteriously huge bank account. Envy had to wonder whether the guards at the Central train station were blind; even if the Homunculi were disguised as humans, they were still obviously suspicious, but nobody tried to stop them. They took two compartments this time; Lust, Gluttony and Sloth went into one, and the rest in the other. Edward was a little suspicious of Greed going with them, but Wrath seemed hell bent in stopping his brother from teasing Edward and Envy in the slightest bit. And the short, black-haired little Homunculus could be rather fearsome when angry.

"It's been a while since we visited home" Alphonse smiled, and Wrath was distracted from his close vigilance of Greed.

"Do you miss your home, Alphonse-chan?"

"I dunno" the blonde shrugged. "I was happy at Central as well. There's a saying that goes 'Home is where the heart is', and I think my home will always be wherever nii-san is."

"Aww, that's so adorable, Alphonse-chan…"

Beside Wrath, Greed made a choking gesture, but the smallest Homunculus didn't notice. Envy chuckled at him.

"Too bad, Greed, you're lonely and ignored."

"Meh, at least I'm not gay for a short alchemist."

"I'M NOT SHORT!"

"And for your information, I have no gender, genius."

"…Envy, that's a little disturbing."

"Oh, c'mon" Envy huffed, resting his elbow on the windowsill and his cheek on his hand. "You didn't ask before kissing me last night. Are you having regrets already, Pride?"

It took Edward at least three seconds to realize Envy was referring to him, and he smiled reassuringly, leaning against Envy, hugging his waist.

"Don't be silly, I'm not regretting anything. You really need to start trusting me, Envy."

"Mh…" Envy wanted to argue, but dismissed the thought when Edward started kissing his neck, softly. He sighed and wrapped an arm around the boy, pulling him closer. "I wish I didn't love you this much. I'm scared about tonight."

"About me becoming a Homunculus?"

"Yeah. I remember when that guy from Xing became Greed. He could've died, that's what Father said… And even when he survived, the transformation was very painful."

"Oh, my brother has a high resistance to pain" Alphonse interrupted then, giggling, lightening the mood up a little. "Remember the Automail surgery?"

"Sometimes I wish I didn't" Edward replied with a smile, but Envy didn't share the gesture.

"If something happens to you, I'll never forgive myself."

"Envy, cheer up" Edward sat up properly, brushing a black bang out of Envy's eyes so he could look at him directly. "Everything will be okay, I promise you. I'll be your Pride."

Envy smiled lightly. He didn't voice his other worry; Edward would visit his childhood friend with Alphonse while the Homunculi waited at the ruins of the Elrics' house. And Envy feared her; his jealousy was spiking. What if she changed Edward's mind about becoming a Homunculus? What if she changed Edward's feeling towards him – something he had been fearing ever since the first kiss? The worry must've showed on his face, for Edward looked up at him and frowned, moving to sit on his lap, arms wrapped loosely around the Homunculus' neck.

"Envy, what's wrong?"

Envy looked down, stroking Edward's thigh, unaware of the blonde's dark red blush.

"Nothing, Fullmetal. I'm fine."

"You don't sound like you're fine" Edward pointed out, resting his head atop Envy's and giving Greed a death glare when the short-haired Homunculus looked at them – and their position – with naughty eyes. "C'mon, didn't I just tell you to trust me?"

Envy sighed, hiding his face in the crook of Edward's neck so his brothers wouldn't see him blush. He whispered, low enough so only Edward would hear him:

"I'm jealous."

The blonde boy blinked. He had suspected Envy to be the jealous kind of lover, but he had never imagined it'd be that bad. It wasn't that he was having doubts about Envy, in the least; he was more determined than ever to prove that his feelings, although seemingly abrupt and feeble, were true. But he realized he'd have to be very careful not to awaken feelings of inferiority in the envious Sin. He stroked Envy's hair, smiling.

"Envy, you don't need to be jealous. After what I'm willing to do for you, you still doubt me?"

"It's not you I doubt, Ed…"

"Is it Winry?"

Envy didn't reply, but Edward could feel him tense up against him, and he knew he had hit the bull's-eye. He pulled away to look into Envy's eyes and kissed him on the lips, whispering:

"No, no, no, I don't want you to feel jealous of her. We've been friends since forever, and yeah, I might've liked her, but nothing ever happened between us, and it won't start happening now."

"Then why won't you tell her about me?"

"Because the last time, she was put in danger because of Al and me. I'd rather she didn't know anything."

"Oh, so you want to protect her…"

"Ugh, Envy…!" Edward tightened his grip on the Homunculus' neck, pulling him closer to kiss him again, with more passion and heat than before. Envy moaned, lost in the still unfamiliar sensation, his hand gripping the fabric of Edward's tight black pants and pulling at it. The blonde smiled, his fingers combing through Envy's hair, releasing it from the rubber band that held it back. The Sin's arms snuck around his waist and pressed him close to the cold body of the Homunculus, and Edward smirked and undid the first buttons of Envy's black shirt, brushing the pearly skin with the tips of his fingers, feeling its flawless smooth texture. Envy's impassioned gasp was muffled by Edward's lips as the kiss deepened, the boy dominating as his tongue played with the Sin's, savoring the strange taste of an artificial human. Envy was sweet and bitter, hot and cold, right and wrong.

_Sinful._

"M-Mhh…!" Envy gripped Edward's red coat, shivering, submitting to the alchemist's hungry tongue and the warm hands that moved down his chest. Just as Edward's fingers brushed the hem of his dark blue jeans, though, a small awkward cough reminded them that they weren't alone, and Edward pulled away slowly, his hands cupping Envy's face.

"Next time you feel jealous, remember this" he said, breathlessly, and Envy nodded dumbly, stunned and lost in Edward's golden eyes. "Good. I love you."

And with one last, quick kiss, Edward was back to sitting beside him, holding his hand innocently. Envy looked up from their entwined fingers at the other three occupants of the compartment, and found the three of them staring at the couple, mouths hanging open. Alphonse's cheeks were bright red, while Greed's eyes twinkled with jealousy. Wrath just looked plain freaked out, and curious at the same time.

Envy simply smirked at them, his hand gripping Edward's tighter.

* * *

When Edward and Alphonse arrived at the Rockbells' house, they were received with big smiles. Pinako pushed them into the house hurriedly, complaining about the cold, while Winry awaited to hug them both and sit with them in the living room, asking how they had been. Soon a warm, happy atmosphere settled in, the four of them drinking hot tea from big green mugs as they talked about everyday stuff. Edward made sure to comment on his fake trip to Briggs as soon as he could to get it out of the way. Aunt Pinako and Winry seemed worried, but resigned nonetheless.

"Major General Armstrong is a tough woman, but she's nice" Edward commented with a smile, and Alphonse chuckled.

"She's scary, though!"

"Make sure to take lots of winter clothes with you" Pinako warned as she got up to get more tea. Edward smiled at the maternal tone in the small old woman's voice. "Winter at Briggs must be hell!"

"At least hell would be warmer" Edward rolled his eyes, and Winry giggled. The elder Elric fixed his eyes on her, smiling affectionately. She was always there for them, and it didn't exactly feel right to lie to her, but it was for her own good.

"I'm glad you don't have an automail arm anymore. I wouldn't want to have to go to Briggs for maintenance" the blond girl joked. Edward chuckled.

"Meh, you know you'd do it anyway."

"Yeah. But I'd make you pay me more!"

"Oi, no fair!"

Alphonse left the quarreling friends to help Pinako with the tea. However, he regretted it as soon as the tiny woman saw him enter the kitchen, and she stood in front of him with her hands on her waist and a stern look on her face.

"Alphonse, I want to know what's really going on."

Alphonse almost dropped the teapot he was holding. He left it on the counter and turned to face the old woman.

"U-Uh, I don't know what you're talking about, auntie, Ed just told you—"

"You two can't fool me. I didn't believe your brother for one second. Tell me what's really going on now."

Alphonse hesitated, but the woman looked at him over her glasses and he couldn't do anything. With a sigh, he admitted defeat.

"Well, there's… Huh… Trouble. And… Some guys who used to be bad guys but are not bad anymore need our help, so we can fight the bad guy who is actually the same bad guy—"

"So you two are involved in some dangerous thing again, aren't you?"

Alphonse stopped stuttering and simply nodded. He left the Homunculi – and with them, Edward's new relationship – out of the subject. There was no need to tell her that much.

"Please don't tell Winry, auntie…"

"Oh, don't worry, I won't. She's been worried enough about you without knowing that. Just make sure to come back to her" and the little woman grabbed the teapot, walking to the living room with decided steps. She wasn't mad, but she wasn't happy either. Alphonse sighed, looking down. It was hard to let her down like that, but it had to be done. They couldn't turn a blind eye to what could be a menace to the whole country once again.

The rest of the evening was relaxed, although Alphonse could notice his brother becoming more tense as hours passed by. A few minutes before the clock struck midnight, the younger Elric got up and announced they were leaving.

"Huh? You won't spend the night?" Winry asked Edward, disappointment evident in her voice, and Edward felt awkwardness settling in. He could imagine Envy's expression at that question, and he thanked his luck that the Homunculus hadn't decided to accompany them in disguise.

"I'm afraid not, Winry, I'll be leaving tomorrow morning for Briggs."

"Oh…"

Pinako escorted the two brothers to the door; Winry wanted to go too, but the old woman objected that it was too cold outside and that she should stay in. Edward and Alphonse waved goodbye to the girl, who warned Edward to call her from time to time, and then they left the house with the small old woman. Pinako stopped when she felt they were far away enough from the house – they were almost out of the circle of light projected from inside – and she grabbed both boys' wrists, pulling them down so their ears were level with her mouth.

"Listen, you two. Whatever you're going to do now, take care" and she pushed them back with surprising force. Both blondes stared at her in sock. "You heard me. I don't want to see Winry cry for you two again."

That brought Edward back to reality. He nodded firmly, and when Alphonse looked at him, he got the impression that his brother looked much older than the last time he'd actually looked at him. Was it because they lived together, and he hadn't noticed how much he'd grown up? Was it because he was taller than Edward, and so he was never actually aware that the other was in fact the elder one?

Whatever it was, he knew he was going to miss Edward when he was gone.

"Don't worry, auntie" Edward said. "We'll come back safely."

Pinako nodded.

"I know you will."

And with that, she turned around and retreated back into the house, leaving the two brothers standing alone in the dark yard.

"Let's go, Al. It's time."

"Yes, nii-san."

* * *

"It's almost time. What's taking him so long?"

The hill was bathed in the pale moonlight. The Homunculi sat around the ruins of what had once been the home of a happy little family, a family taken apart, thorn, destroyed. Envy sighed, the cold breeze caressing his exposed skin – he was back to wearing his usual, revealing attire – and messing up his long, spiky hair. Edward's family had been destroyed, but he could give him a new one. He just hoped everything was real, and not some kind of delusion. It was hard to trust humans.

Lust walked up to him, her long black dress shifting around her as she walked. They had taken the disguises off; there was no need for them. They were alone, waiting, while Sloth slept with his back against a tree and Wrath ran around with Gluttony, playing tag.

"Don't worry" the female told Envy. "I'm sure he's already on the way."

"What if he doesn't show up, huh?" Envy looked down, putting a hand to his neck, where the snake-necklace still hung, red stone twinkling between its jaws. Greed smacked Envy's head from behind, pushing him off the rock he was sitting on. "HEY!"

"Don't be silly, snakey" Greed shrugged. "He almost raped you on the train. It's obvious he'll come and transform so he can have hot violent Homunculus sex with you."

"What… Did you just… Say?" Envy's cheeks couldn't have been redder as Greed and Lust laughed at his mortified expression. "Don't… Don't you even dare joke about that while Ed is around! I mean it!"

"Aw, Env', you know I wouldn't" Greed shook his head, smiling at his brother. "You know I tease you for fun, but I really do support you."

"Oh, lookie there!" Lust said then, in a motherly tone that made both Greed and Envy shiver. "It's the Elrics!"

Envy turned around just in time to see Edward running towards him, red coat waving behind him. As if they were in some romantic novel, Edward stopped before Envy and threw his arms around his neck, and Envy hugged him by the waist and spun him around, smiling with a happiness he didn't remember feeling before.

"You did come" he whispered, and Edward kissed his lips softly, his eyes reflecting the moonlight.

"Of course" and grabbing Envy's hand tightly, he added, smirking. "Let's do this."

Envy smiled, leading Edward to the center of the ruins. His free hand took the stone from the fake snake's mouth, the necklace disappearing immediately after.

"Okay."

* * *

**Author's note: **c'mon, say it with me! CLIIIIIIIIIIIIFFHANGEEEEEER! Hahahahah... ... ...Guys?

Also, I found some mistakes in this chapter concerning the fact that - now I know, after watching the ending to Brotherhood/the manga - Ed never recovered his leg. Ignore that, yeah? It's fixed later in the story!

Next chapter: Ed goes Homunculus, and a random something else that Beyond Backup might like!


	8. Pride

**Author's Note: **YES I'm crazy for posting chapter eight when I still haven't finished chapter 10! I know I'm crazy! But after the onslaught of reviews in the last chapter, how can I not update? So I'm blaming you all for this insanity! Yeah!

Kidding, I was insane before I even started writing this anyway...

**Warnings: **I should be doing homework instead of posting this. Also, Pride!Ed (which I said before was inspired by the fan game Bluebird's Illusion), yaoi, and a plot that goes more random each chapter! Oh, and Envy fanservice... Big Envy fanservice... If you catch my drift, Backup. This chapter is dedicated to you!

* * *

**The Ouroboros Sign**

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 8 – _Pride_

_Envy smiled, leading Edward to the center of the ruins. His free hand took the stone from the fake snake's mouth, the necklace disappearing immediately after._

"_Okay."_

Edward took off his long red coat, handing it to Alphonse with a smile, and then took off his black jacket, leaving only a black vest and black leather pants on. It was unconsciously fitting for a Homunculus, Envy admitted as Edward and him sat on the ground, facing each other, the shapeshifter holding the stone in one hand. His other arm slowly morphed into a blade.

"Ed, if you're going to back down, you better do it now" he warned, and Edward rolled his eyes.

"If I wanted to back down, I would've fled the town with Alphonse _before _meeting up with you, not after. Do it already, coward!"

"Oh, now you'll see who's the coward!"

The blade pressed gently into the skin of Edward's right arm, like a warning, before making a deep cut. Edward hissed lowly, but otherwise didn't react. Envy gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry, had to be done. Last chance. Do you want to stop?"

The remaining five Homunculi and Alphonse watched intently, as if in a trance, as Edward shook his head softly, his left hand reaching out to grab Envy's, which was back to normal.

"No" he whispered. "But stay with me."

Envy nodded, and gripping Edward's hand tightly, he pressed the red Philosopher's stone against the bleeding wound on the boy's arm, softly. The stone emitted a bright light and then, as if it were liquid, it was absorbed into the blonde's blood torrent. Edward gasped, gripping Envy's hand with enough force to break the bones as he felt a searing pain spreading through his body, as if his blood had suddenly become venom, or lava. He closed his eyes, trembling, and vaguely heard Envy and Alphonse calling out to him, but he couldn't move, let alone answer. He felt like he was suffocating, but even breathing was too painful to withstand.

Envy yelped as Edward collapsed into his arms, his body burning and beads of sweat rolling down his face as if he were having a fever. The shapeshifter held the boy as the warm body convulsed a few times, and then went deathly still. Alphonse screamed and ran up to them, ignoring Lust's and Greed's warnings to stay away.

"Nii-san! Nii-san!"

"Edward, wake up!" Envy begged, shaking Edward's shoulders gently. "Ed, baby, c'mon! Please, wake up! Ed, please!"

_Ed, help me! Please, help me!_

And suddenly, the bleeding in Edward's arm stopped, the wound healing itself. Alphonse and Envy watched in awe as, where a cut had been a second later, a red circular mark appeared. A winged dragon biting its own tail, with a star in the center.

"The Ouroboros" Alphonse whispered, and Envy shook Edward again, softly.

"Love?"

Edward's eyes slid open slowly, and he looked up at Envy, blinking.

"Did it work?" he muttered, and Envy nodded, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. Edward sat up carefully, leaning against Envy while Alphonse grabbed his shoulders, helping him.

"Nii-san, are you okay?"

"Can you get up, Ed?"

Edward stood up wobblingly, clinging to Envy's neck, the shapeshifter gripping his waist tightly. Slowly, as if fearing he'd suddenly snap and attack them, the other Homunculi approached them, Wrath preceding them all as he rushed to Alphonse's side.

"Is he okay, Alphonse-chan?"

"It seems so. How do you feel, nii-san?"

"I'm fine" Edward smiled weakly. His face had regained a little color, and his grip on Envy's neck loosened a bit. "I don't feel any different, though."

"Well, you're not fully an Homunculus" Greed reasoned. "Just like the previous Wrath, and Ling Yao, you're like a mix of both. You're like a human with the powers of an Homunculus."

"Is he Pride now?" Gluttony wondered, and Wrath giggled.

"He's in the family now! Who can he be?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lust smiled. "He's Envy's boyfriend."

Edward blushed madly, cuddling against Envy's chest when the long-haired Homunculus pulled him close, smiling.

"That's fine by me" the shapeshifter said. Alphonse and Wrath exchanged and excited smile at that.

Edward simply frowned thoughtfully, resting his head on Envy's shoulder.

* * *

An abandoned cottage a few kilometers east from Resembool was the hideout chosen for the night. A long trip awaited them, and they had no intention of starting in the middle of the night. They lit a fire with some wood that was piled up in a corner, and settled down to get some rest. Almost an hour later, everyone was asleep save for Envy and Edward.

The black-haired Sin was sitting close to the fire, his legs spread and bent at the knees, while Edward sat between them, his back against Envy's chest. His golden hair was down, and Envy was running his fingers through it, fascinated by how soft and warm it felt. Edward purred, tilting his head back.

"Envy, what are we?" he whispered, thoughtfully, and Envy's hand stilled in his movements, resting on Edward's shoulder.

"I don't know" Envy admitted, burying his face in Edward's hair. "I know we're Homunculi, I know I'm Envy and you're Pride, and that we're supposedly in love with each other, and that's about it. I don't know what we're supposed to be."

"Boyfriends" Edward blushed madly as he uttered the word, but it had to be said. "Or lovers. Whatever suits you. I…" the blonde turned to face Envy, placing his arms around the other Homunculus' neck. "I think… I-I'd prefer boyfriends. It sounds more… Serious."

"You want to be serious with me?" Envy smirked, and Edward looked down shamefully, but nodding softly.

"Y-Yeah. And especially now that we're both Homunculi."

Envy sighed, nuzzling Edward's neck as the blonde moved closer, straddling him. The closeness felt intimate, and Envy smiled when he felt the stone in his chest pulsing softly in appreciation. Edward pressed closer to him, evidently feeling the same warm, comfortable sensation.

"Envy…"

"Pride…"

Edward smiled at the nickname, and then pressed his lips to Envy's, softly. He let the Sin take control this time, allowed him time to adjust to the sensations and decide on the pace. After a few seconds of small pecks, Edward felt the other Homunculus slowly gaining confidence and starting to deepen the kiss. A sharp warm tongue brushed his lips shyly, and the blonde parted them, allowing access to the probing appendage. Envy shivered, his arms encircling Edward's waist as he explored the blonde's mouth, savoring the unfamiliar, unique, exquisite taste. Edward was all sweetness, light, warmth and gold. Perhaps Envy would never be allowed into Heaven, but as he felt Edward melt into his arms, mewling softly, the shapeshifter decided this was close enough.

"Mhh…" Edward broke the kiss, eyes closed and breathing ragged, and Envy smirked, kissing down to the boy's throat, sucking on the sensitive skin there. "E-Envy…" warm hands gripped his hair, the newly transformed Homunculus squirming into his arms, letting out soft gasps.

"You okay?" Envy muttered into the crook of his neck, loving the fact that Edward's skin hadn't lost its human warmth, nor the delicious sweet scent of the human his boyfriend used to be. "You sound like you're suffocating…"

"I-I'm fine" Edward stuttered, tensing as Envy's lips brushed his skin again. He wasn't used to that feeling, but he couldn't deny how good he felt. Having the inexperienced Envy in control was thrilling, and he was dying for the Sin to give him more. He wanted to see how far a Homunculus would be willing to go without actually knowing for sure what he was doing.

"You sure?" the shapeshifter double-checked. He licked one of the marks he'd made on Edward's skin, and the arms around his neck tightened, Edward letting out a strangled moan.

"I-I told you I'm fine!"

"I'm not hurting you?" the Sin asked in a husky whisper, and Edward's mind cleared a little. He loosened his grip on Envy's hair, resorting to running his fingers through it, gently. Envy purred against his neck, his cheeks reddening at the sound he had just made. _Homunculi didn't purr, dammit!_

"Quite the contrary" Edward smiled, hugging Envy tighter, pressing close to him. That was all it took to encourage the Sin; the blonde let out a small scream as sharp fangs pierced the sensitive flesh on his shoulder, where the scar of the automail surgery was still slightly visible. "A-AH! E-Envy…!"

Envy licked the blood he had drawn from the wound, smirking devilishly.

"That did hurt, didn't it, chibi-san?"

"Y-Yeah…" Edward hugged Envy tighter, trembling a bit. The sting on his shoulder was horrible, but for some reason, the feeling of Envy greedily tasting his blood like some kind of real-life vampire wasn't; quite the opposite. A masochistic excitement took over him, and he groaned as Envy's reptilian tongue lapped up a drop of blood from the wound he had inflicted.

"But it's different in this context, ne, Pride?"

"…What?"

"Being hurt by me. Doesn't feel so bad now, does it?"

Edward smirked.

"Don't get too cocky, Envy."

Envy shivered as he felt sharp nails running down his back, hard enough to break the skin. The Sin felt the blood running down his back, and saw Edward smirk at him in an irresistibly devilish, sexy way. And then, at the same time, the bleeding wound on Edward's shoulder and the scratches on Envy's back healed themselves with a cracking of red lightning. Edward was distracted by this; he stared at his shoulder in surprise.

"It does heal…"

"What did you expect? You're a Homunculus now" Envy shrugged. "That's what we do. And I'm certain you can use alchemy again, with the stone inside you."

"I'll try it tomorrow" Edward settled comfortably against Envy's chest, yawning, and the Sin smiled and caressed his hair tenderly.

"You tired, chibi-san?"

"A little. Not so much tired, it's more like…" Edward let out a small laugh. _"Cuddly."_

"Cuddly?" Envy blushed a bit, looking away. He couldn't admit he thought that to be extremely cute, it wouldn't be like him at all. "Don't be silly, Pride. Homunculi aren't cuddly."

"I don't need you to teach me how to be a Homunculus" Edward smirked up at Envy. He was in a rather playful mood, and Envy was just too easy to annoy. "I bet I could beat you at it any day."

"Says the one who went all wide-eyed because his wounds magically heal!" a vein popped up on Envy's forehead, and Edward tilted his head, smiling smugly.

"Don't yell, Envy, you'll wake my little brother up."

"Who's screaming? You… Midget!"

Edward froze, and suddenly his gaze darkened, and his relaxed smirk became a vicious grin.

"_I hope you didn't say what I think you just said!"_

"Short" Envy smirked, and a second later he was pushed to the floor, and Edward and him were struggling to get on top, growling and calling each other names, giving each other little scratches that healed in a matter of seconds. And then they were laughing, and then they were kissing; Envy had never felt like that before, like there wasn't a care in the world, like nothing existed but that moment, Edward and him and that night that wasn't that cold anymore, that he wished would last forever. They ended up lying side by side by the fire, facing each other, Envy's arm around Edward's waist and the boy's hand on the Homunculus' arm, stroking him affectionately. As if in a trance, Envy stared at Edward, wide eyed, as the boy smiled at him, golden eyes half lidded and a relaxed expression on his face. His golden hair was all over the place, a few bangs falling over his eyes and his shoulders; his clothes were slightly ruffled, revealing patches of soft creamy skin. Edward's hand moved up to cup Envy's cheek, which went red at the warm contact.

"I love you" the blonde whispered, and Envy felt a strong emotion welling up inside him, something more powerful than hate, bloodlust or fury; more powerful than _envy_ itself. His eyes teared up, but he fought it as his hand rubbed Edward's side, gently.

"I-I love you too… Ed."

Edward's smile widened, and he cuddled up to Envy, his forehead resting on the other Homunculus' chest. His eyes fell closed, and he relaxed visibly. Envy smiled, burying his face in his boyfriend's golden hair.

"Sleep well…"

Before the Sin gave in to sleep as well, his last thought was that_ he_ _hadn't known such happiness existed._

* * *

"My, my."

"They look so _cute_!"

"I had never seen my brother like this with anyone… Heh, he looks really happy, doesn't he?"

"They're so in_ love_! I envy them!"

"Heh, I'm gonna poke Envy."

"No, Greed! They're so peaceful like this!"

Envy twitched as a finger jabbed mercilessly into his side, and then opened his eyes as he heard a loud 'Thud!' and screeching voices. The first thing he saw was Edward's peaceful sleeping face, lit up by a ray of sunlight that came in from somewhere. He smiled, kissing the boy's half-open mouth greedily before slowly removing his arms from around the blonde and sitting up.

"Good morning, Envy" Alphonse smiled at him. He was sitting cross-legged beside the fire, next to Lust and Gluttony. Sloth was still asleep in his corner, snoring loudly, and Wrath was beating Greed to a pulp next to Envy.

…_Wait._

Envy blinked, reaching out to grab the back of Wrath's tank-top, pulling the little Homunculus back onto his lap.

"Wrath, what the hell are you doing?"

Wrath crossed his arms, pouting, knowing Envy wouldn't let him go. Greed just lied there while his wounds healed.

"He wanted to disturb you, and I didn't want him to!"

"Hey, I just wanted to wake him up because we have to go!" Greed defended himself, and Wrath roared like a beast and broke free of Envy's grip, jumping onto the greedy Sin again. Envy stared at him for a few seconds before deciding it wasn't worth it and hugging Edward, pulling him closer, so the blonde's head was on his lap.

"Good morning, Al, guys."

"I see you slept well" Alphonse commented with a smile, motioning towards his sleeping elder brother, and Envy couldn't help the grin that curved his lips. His fingers entangled in Edward's hair, and the blonde cuddled against him lightly, mumbling something incoherent.

"Yeah, I did" Envy replied, and Lust offered Envy a steaming mug of hot tea, smirking knowingly.

"I heard you two making some noise last night. I'm waiting!" and she tucked her hair behind her ear, giggling. The gesture was very clear; _tell me everything!_

"W-What?" Envy's cheeks flushed a bright red; he was so embarrassed, that he didn't notice Edward stirring and opening his eyes, before smiling and draping an arm across Envy's hips, hugging him. "W-We didn't…! I-I mean…! I didn't do anything to him!"

"Well, I hadn't expected you to be _passive_, Envy…"

"I'm not! …I mean, we didn't have sex, Lust!" the shapeshifter finally snapped, Lust smiling fondly at how flustered her _son _was. She feigned disappointment, sighing and slumping her shoulders.

"And here I was hoping for a yummy story…"

"_Mom!"_

"But I'm glad you two are happy together, anyway!" she smiled suddenly, and there was such sincerity in her expression, that Envy couldn't retort. He sighed and looked away, only then noticing that Edward was cuddling him, his hand lazily tracing the Ouroboros tattoo on Envy's thigh. Envy's blush darkened as he felt a pleasant tickling there where Edward's fingers touched the red symbol.

"U-Uh… Thanks, Lust" he tried to pretend he didn't notice Edward's actions, and after a few seconds the boy returned to simply hugging him, and he could relax again. He had never imagined that little mark could be so sensitive to touch.

"No problem. Now, we have plans to make" she frowned, and suddenly the mood became more serious, as the reality of their current situation settled in. Alphonse frowned, nodding.

"We're going to the ruins of Xerxes, right? So Edward and I can train you to use alchemy more effectively."

"Yes" Envy nodded. Wrath, who was apparently finished with Greed, hurried to the blonde alchemist's side and sat down.

"Alphonse-chan is gonna teach me alchemy, I'm so excited!"

"Thanks, Wrath-chan" Alphonse smiled at the little Sin, blushing a bit, before looking at Envy again. "We're going to cross the desert from here, right?"

"Yeah, I don't see a reason to go up to Youswell before. Besides, Ed surely will catch attention; he's quite famous, ne?"

"He is. Nii-san is really well-known."

"So yeah, we'll be going straight from here. You think you can manage? You're the only one who's human, after all."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be just fine! I'm an alchemist, after all."

Envy was about to reply, but he was distracted by Edward stirring again, opening his eyes and yawning. He smiled at the blonde as Edward sat up, looking around, his puffy blond hair shifting with the movement.

"Mornin', sleeping beauty" Envy smirked, and it was echoed by Wrath's scream of "cute!" and the sound of fake gagging from Greed. The shapeshifter rolled his eyes, blushing a bit. "Honestly…"

Edward ignored the commotion as he looked around the floor for something. When Envy turned to him again, the blonde's hair was tied in a ponytail behind his head, and a frown darkened the Sin's features.

"I don't like your hair like that, Pride."

"Get used to it" Edward replied, catching his brother's look and smiling at him. "How are you, Al?"

"I'm fine, nii-san" the younger boy answered cheerfully, offering some of his tea to his brother. "How are you feeling? Anything different?"

"Save for the super healing skills, nope."

"Try using alchemy, kiddo" Greed suggested, and Edward hesitated, but Alphonse's curious, interested look encouraged him to take a deep breath and clap his hands, even though it wasn't necessary, before placing them on the ground. There was a loud rumble, and red lighting cracked as a wall suddenly erupted from the ground, hiding Edward from his brother's view. Alphonse couldn't help the cheer that escaped him as he got up, jumping over Wrath to approach his equally surprised – and visibly pleased – brother.

"Ed! You made it!"

"I can't believe it" Edward smiled, looking down at his palms as Alphonse dropped to his knees before him, smiling like a little boy on Christmas Eve.

"I've missed watching you clap your hands and do alchemy, nii-san" Alphonse sighed longingly. "It's just so… You."

"I've missed it too" the elder brother closed his eyes. True, he had given up his alchemy two years ago to regain his brother, and he had claimed not to need that power when he had his friends backing him up, but as time passed, he had started to think back to the days where clapping his hands could make more than just a snapping sound, where he could be helpful to people, where he could research and investigate and then try new things out with his power. And having it back, even if it was just because of the Philosopher's stone, felt good. It was like finding a part of himself he thought he'd never be again.

"Let's get going" Lust said suddenly, getting up. Outside, clouds had covered the sky, hiding the sun away and giving everything a grey tone. Gluttony nodded and hopped over to Sloth, shaking him softly. Alphonse placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, squeezing it briefly before getting up and offering Edward a hand.

"So you're the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric once again" the boy smiled as he helped his brother up. Edward smiled, and then stiffened as he felt arms sneaking around his waist from behind. Envy rested his head on Edward's shoulder, smirking.

"I don't know about that, Pride…" he whispered into Edward's ear. _"Hagane no Homunkurusu."_

* * *

But as the sun neared its highest point in the sky, behind the clouds, Alphonse started to doubt how well he would actually be. Unlike the Homunculi, he quickly grew tired, hungry and thirsty. The desert was hot even when they were in the middle of winter – God knew how that could be, the youngest Elric groaned as he tried to pull the hood of his brother's red coat, which he wore now, down once again, only to be stopped by said sibling.

"No way" the newly transformed Homunculus scolded his little brother. "You have to protect yourself from the sun, silly. We don't want you getting a high fever there where nobody can help us, do we?"

"But nii-san, it's too hot in here…"

"Your brother is right, Alphonse-chan" Wrath interrupted, eyeing the human boy worriedly from his privileged position on Sloth's shoulders. "I don't want you to feel sick…"

"And you called _me _a lovesick girl?" Envy commented to Greed, and both of them chuckled evilly. Wrath turned to glare at them, tears of anger forming in the corners of his eyes, his cheeks burning bright red.

"Shut up! You're mean brothers! You're not like Edward, he's a nice big brother! You two suck!"

"Hey!" Envy's jealous nature kicked in then. "Would you rather have him as your big brother? A big brother who's even shorter than you?"

"_Who are you calling so short that even toddlers look down on him?"_

"Nii-san, you're overreacting…"

"I'm taller than Wrath! Envious monster!"

"Stop calling me that, you fake alchemist!"

"At least I'm a _real _human!"

"How can you say that after last night, _Pride_?"

"Guys, please!" Lust interrupted then, speeding up so she was walking right between them, pushing Edward back when the blonde tried to lung at Envy. "Now isn't the time to fight. We still have a very long way to go."

"We're taking too long" Greed sighed. "Sloth, can't you carry us all and go faster?"

"That's a bother" Sloth replied. "I'm already carrying Wrath. Carrying more would be annoying."

"How about Envy, then?" Greed said. It was obvious he was fed up with walking; it was so not luxurious. Envy gave him a confused look over his shoulder.

"Huh? Me?"

"Envy grows big!" Gluttony grinned stupidly, raising his arms to indicate the great size Envy could reach – of course, it was a pathetic attempt, but the idea was still there. Edward remembered the fight Ling and him had had against Envy's giant form while they were in Gluttony's stomach. Envy was truly a giant monster, explaining his weight that didn't fit his slim, androgynous aspect.

_Wait. How come he didn't squish me while we were rolling on the floor last night? …Wow, that sounded wrong even in my mind. Bad thoughts, Ed._

"Envy, are you any faster in that form than in this one?" he asked his boyfriend, forgetting he was supposed to be mad at him. Envy looked at him, and he seemed to forget about the fight as well, because he answered in a friendly tone.

"I'm not sure" he shrugged. "I might, because being bigger means I can cover more territory faster, but I don't know how much faster…"

"Please, nii-chan, take us on your back!" Wrath begged, and Envy scratched his cheek, a mortified expression on his face.

"Oi, Wrath! I'm not some kind of horse!"

"C'mon, Envy, let us ride you" Greed snickered, and Lust couldn't help a small chuckle of her own. "You might even like it!"

"I don't listen to advice from perverts, thank you very much."

There was silence for a few seconds, and then, suddenly, Edward let himself collapse on the ground, sighing.

"I'm tired" he complained, and immediately a huge shadow loomed over them as Envy transformed, reptilian tail wagging from side to side and groans coming from the souls trapped in his body. Alphonse looked up at the monster in awe, suddenly understanding why people tended to call Envy that, and then turned to his brother. He caught Edward's flash of a smirk before the blonde got up, dusting himself off.

"I didn't know you could transmute with words" the younger Elric commented, and Edward chuckled as he caught the hidden meaning in his little brother's words.

"It's a very special case of equivalent exchange, believe me, Al."

"You gonna get on, or not?" the monster Envy was now tilted its head to the side, smirking. "Heh, you all look so small… Especially Fullmetal."

"Who're you—"

"Hush, chibi-san" Envy purred as he helped Wrath up onto his back, using his tail to lift him. Wrath giggled and hugged one of the spikes on Envy's back, holding onto it.

"You're the best, nii-chan! I love you!"

Envy chuckled softly at those words as he helped everyone else up – save for Greed, who had to try and climb up Envy's tail on his own, which was made harder by the fact Envy didn't want to cooperate and kept wagging his tail around, shaking Greed along with it.

"Stop, you monster! You trying to kill me, or what?"

"All aboard?" Envy ignored him, looking up at Edward, who was sitting atop his head. The blonde nodded, gripping a few strands of Envy's hair with one hand and caressing his head with the other, marveling at the coldness and roughness of his skin.

"Yep!" Edward grinned, and Envy smiled, starting to walk. He had been right; his great size and long legs allowed him to go faster without growing tired. He started to pick up speed, and seeing Alphonse and Wrath seemed amused by that, after a few minutes he was almost running, jumping over small dunes and raising clouds of sand on his way. Wrath's and Alphonse's laughs were contagious, and the way Edward and Greed – who was still holding onto Envy's tail for dear life as it wagged around like an angry snake - yelped and told him to stop were priceless. Even Gluttony and Lust chuckled a little, while Sloth slept comfortably, using Envy's hair as a pillow.

Envy felt good. He felt good as he laughed along with Alphonse and Wrath. He felt good teasing Edward and Greed. He felt good running across the desert, he felt free, weightless, powerful. And suddenly he realized it, the feeling he had had the previous night, when Edward and him were laughing and playfully fighting with each other, the feeling he got when Greed and him worked together to make fun of someone, the feeling he experienced when Alphonse and him spoke about Edward without the blonde noticing.

_I'm… Having fun._

It was already dark when they finally reached the ruins, though, and it was starting to get cold, a chilly wind blowing over the ruins as they settled down for the night in a half-demolished house, in the outskirts of the abandoned city. Envy, still in his giant form, stayed outside in a creepy parody of a watchdog, curling up in front of the door and wrapping his tail around himself.

_I don't think they'll come for us, but still… _The giant lizard-like monster raised its head, frowning as it stared at the door. Red light came out from the windows, and soft laughter was heard. _I… I have to protect them…_

He was surprised as the door opened, Edward stepping out. He was wearing a brand new coat, which he had probably made from stuff he had found in the house. The new coat was similar to his old one, but black, and as the blonde walked around Envy's huge body, he could see that it had a red Ouroboros sign on the back. Envy smiled lovingly as Edward sat down next to his head, leaning back against his neck, curling up to get comfortable as he played with a strand of Envy's hair.

"Do I bother you?" he asked with a lazy smile, and Envy shook his head a bit, trying no to move too much, so as not to disturb the peaceful looking boy.

"Of course not, Ed."

"Thank you" the blonde sighed, closing his eyes, and Envy made a small confused sound. "You know, for helping us get here. I never imagined I'd get to ride on this form's back… It was fun."

Envy felt the warmth on his face even in that from, which annoyed him greatly. Imagine, the big badass monster, _blushing_! He couldn't go any lower, he guessed.

"Don't thank me" he growled, the end of his tail wrapping around Edward in the monster's version of a hug. "It's equivalent exchange."

* * *

**Author's note: **I want a ride on Envy's back. Buuuuh.

Next chapter: Envy vs. Pride!Ed. Wrath breaks things. And Gluttony runs naked. No, not really. But it would be hella fun.


	9. Alchemy training

**Author's note: **I feel strangely demoralized lately. Care to cheer me up a bit?

**Warnings: **Nothing that you haven't heard before! ...So yaoi. Misuse of alchemy. And Wrath being cute.**

* * *

**

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The Ouroboros Sign

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 9 – _Alchemy training _a.k.a. "The Comic Relief Chapter"

"Alright! Everyone ready?"

Edward opened his eyes slowly. He was still propped up against the giant monster that was Envy, and the air around him was hot and humid. Amongst the clouds, the sun beat down on them mercilessly, and in the distance a mirage of water could be seen, product of the heat. He sat up, and the monster shifted and opened his eyes, growling softly.

"What the hell…?" the big green head was raised, and Edward couldn't help but chuckle as Envy sniffed the air, much like a dog would've. "Oh…" Envy looked down at the blonde again, as Edward got up and stretched, taking off his new coat and putting it aside. It was too hot to wear it. "What time is it, chibi-san?" the monster asked as he stretched. Edward made to check his silver pocket watch, and then remembered that he had given it to Alphonse.

"I dunno, but it must be around ten."

"Mh…" Envy got up slowly, shaking to get the sand off his reptilian skin. "I'm sore everywhere. This body is strong, but it isn't too comfortable…" the monster stretched, arching his back, his tail curving over him. One of the souls trapped in his body reached out towards Edward and started begging the human-turned-Homunculus to kill him. Edward flinched, looking away, and Envy let out a growl. "Shut up, you useless thing."

"You could always go back to your human form" Edward whispered, a hint of begging in his voice, and a second later Envy was back to normal, long hair shifting with the hot breeze. Edward smiled and hugged him, sighing. "Yeah, I definitely like this form better…"

"C'mon, I'm not that ugly…" Envy whimpered, although Edward could hear the smile in his voice as he hid his face in the crook of the shapeshifter's neck.

"Of course not, you're cute in a… 'I like him but I fear him' sort of way."

"I wouldn't hurt you."

"Not now, but I still remember stuff, you know."

The conversation was interrupted as the door flew open, and Wrath ran out, squealing at the top of his lungs and wearing Alphonse's inherited red coat. Alphonse appeared shortly after, chasing after the overexcited little Homunculus.

"Wrath-chan, wait up! …Oh, hello, Envy, nii-san."

"Hey" Edward raised a hand in hello, his other hand scratching the back of his head while Envy hugged him by the waist, resting his head on the blonde's shoulder. "What's up with Wrath?"

"Oh, he's excited about me teaching him alchemy" Alphonse rolled his eyes. "He's cute, but… Scary."

"Cute in an 'I like him but I fear him' sort of way, ne?" Envy smirked, and Edward let out a small chuckle. Alphonse stared at them, confused, before deciding he really didn't want to know and looking around for Wrath. The little Homunculus came back after a minute, grinning and hiding his hands behind his back.

"Nii-chan! I got something for you!" he claimed, and a strong feeling of déjà-vu took over Envy as he closed his eyes and held a hand out without waiting for his brother to tell him so. Immediately, he felt the small hand pressing something small and sharp into his palm, and he knew what it was before even opening his eyes. Edward and Alphonse both gasped.

"I-It's a…!"

"A Philosopher's stone!"

"I swear, Wrath, you have a radar for these" Envy shook his head, the snake necklace appearing on his neck so he could put the stone into its mouth. "Where did you find it?"

"It was behind a column over there. Take care of it, nii-chan! It's a gift for you and Edward-chan!"

"Thanks, Wrath" Edward smiled at the child Homunculus, chuckling as Wrath clung to Alphonse's arm, looking up at him with shiny eyes.

"Will you teach me how to blow up stuff now, Alphonse-chan?"

"Hum… Let's wait for the other Homunculi, Wrath-chan."

Lust and Greed walked out a few minutes later, yawning and stretching, Lust frowning at the hot weather.

"We're gonna exercise in this heat? Dear…"

"C'mon, Lust!" Greed grinned at her. He seemed to be in an incredibly good mood. "We'll be stronger than before! I'd even run naked around Briggs to obtain that power!"

"Will we have to run naked?" Gluttony asked in fear as he stepped outside as well, Sloth following, scratching his head lazily.

"Ugh… Running is such a bother…"

"Nobody's going to run naked" Edward rolled his eyes, while Envy eyed him suggestively. "Envy, look at me like that again and I'll take your eyes out. Promise."

"Sorry, sorry, chibi-san. I'll behave!"

"I don't believe you one bit."

"Okay, let's go into the ruins and start training" Alphonse interrupted then, his tone firm and energetic. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up, and his hair was tied back in a similar way to his brother's. Envy had never noticed how alike Edward and Alphonse were; it had been hard to see it when one of the brothers was an empty suit of armor. But now that Alphonse was back to his human body, it was easy to notice the similarity. Same golden hair, same eyes, same expressions when they laughed or frowned. Envy couldn't help but wonder whether he should like Alphonse in the way he liked Edward, since they were so alike; and the very thought awakened an unknown disgust inside himself. There weren't _that_ alike, and Edward was far more beautiful than Alphonse!

Something heavy and hard hit his back, and Envy staggered forward, turning around to glare at whomever had pushed him. He found Edward frowning, arms crossed, a dark aura surrounding him.

"What are you staring at my little brother for?" the blonde snarled, and Envy could only blink, rubbing his sore back with one hand.

"W-What the hell did you hit me with?"

"I never regained my leg back, you know? Answer me!"

"You still got Automail? Does that mean we'll be seeing more of that blonde friend of yours?"

"Will you two stop?" Lust interrupted once again, dragging Edward away as Greed pushed Envy, the four of them following Alphonse as he led the way into the ruins. "You've been going at it since yesterday!"

"And you're not even married!" Greed added, jumping back as Envy tried to bite his arm. "How come you two are only civil to each other at night?"

"Because Edward looks taller in the dark."

"And because I don't have to see your ugly face if it's dark!"

"That's…! That's too much, Ed!"

And with a vicious snarl, the long-haired Sin broke free of the grip Greed had on his arms and ran off, catching up to Wrath and Alphonse. Edward saw his brother talking to the Homunculus, and then golden eyes glaring at him, but he did his best to ignore it. He'd apologize to Envy later, if the moment arose and he felt like it.

Although Greed's words had him wondering why Envy and him were closer and more loving towards each other during the night.

* * *

"Watch out, Gluttony!"

Gluttony yelped and slammed both his hands on the ground, creating a wall that shielded him from the giant rock fist that shot towards him when Greed touched the wall. It was almost midday, the air was heavy with pure heat, and gloves, shirts and vests had long since been discarded. Lust had even gone as far as to rip part of her dress so it became shorter and less hot – and most of the males couldn't help but stare at the lean, pale legs that were revealed. She felt rather flattered at the attention, until she caught glimpse of Envy punching a wall, and a second later a giant stone snake erupted from it and hit Edward, sending him flying a good ten meters. When she noticed the blonde boy didn't get up immediately, she scolded everyone and told them to go back to the practice.

Greed slammed his hand on the ground, red lightning cracking, and a line of spikes spurted, Gluttony avoiding them by inches as he jumped to the side. As he did so, he frowned and concentrated on Greed. He touched the ground with the tips of his chubby fingers, an a second later a huge hand slammed the unsuspecting Greed against a wall, effectively trapping him. When the dust from the transmutation dissipated, Edward stepped up, touching the stone arm and transmuting it away to free the trapped Sin.

"Great job, Gluttony, but you took too long to attack. Bear it in mind that enemy attacks might break through defenses, so you have to be ready to counterattack. That last one was cool. Greed" and the blonde turned to the ashamed, angry man. "Dude… What the hell was that?"

"Alchemy?" Greed growled after a few embarrassing seconds, trying hard to ignore Envy's hysterical laughing.

"You kept attacking and attacking. You left yourself wide open for an attack! You, who're the master of defense!"

"This alchemy thing isn't easy, okay? And shut your bitch up before I do it myself!"

"Envy, please" Edward gave his boyfriend an exasperated look, and Envy pouted, crossing his arms.

"I'm still mad at you."

"Oh, c'mon…!" but the protest was interrupted by the unmistakable, clearly distinct sound of _destruction_. Wrath ran towards them, screaming, as the remains of a building that had more or less survived the fall of Xerxes and the erosion of the desert collapsed like a sand castle. The small Sin jumped into Alphonse's arms, and the young alchemist instinctively hugged him tightly as he raised an arm to protect his eyes from the dust.

"WRATH!" Envy's cry made even the ever-relaxed Sloth flinch and shift his position before going back to sleep in his refuge amongst some broken columns. Wrath clung to Alphonse, adrenaline still present in his body, making him shiver and laugh at the same time as tears prickled at the corners of his eyes.

"I-I blew it up…!"

"You remind me of Scar" Edward sighed, placing his hands on his hips sternly. "Alchemy isn't only used to destroy, you know?"

"But it was so _fun_!" Wrath laughed nervously as his arms suffocated Alphonse slowly. Tears rolled down the little Sin's face as he panted heavily, and Lust approached him, gently prying him from the barely conscious human boy.

"And why are you crying, then?" Envy rolled his eyes, and Wrath wiped his tears away with his hand, leaving a dirty trail on his cheek. He grinned despite it all, and Alphonse felt his heart warm up at his sheer innocence.

After all, Edward and him had done stupid things with alchemy when they were only little kids.

"Because I thought it would collapse on me! But I escaped! It was amazing!"

"You seem to be very powerful, Wrath-chan" Alphonse placed both hands on Wrath's shoulders, and the small boy blushed bright red, looking up at Alphonse over his shoulder, hopefully.

"Y-You really think so…? Alphonse-chan?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" Envy waved his hand nonchalantly, cutting off whatever Alphonse had planned to say. "I wanna try this too."

An evil smirk that didn't suit him at all curved Alphonse's lips as he gave his brother an amused look.

"Why don't you practice with my brother, Envy? He must be a little rusty from two years without using alchemy. Give it a try!"

The boyfriends exchanged a nervous glance. True, they weren't in the best of terms that day, but… Fighting each other? Again? Even if it was just for practice, Envy felt there were some things he preferred not to revive. The mere idea of hurting Edward again, like he had so gladly done before, made him feel guilty.

On the other hand… Edward had called him ugly, dammit!

"Bring it on, Fullmetal Homunculus" he snickered as he stepped up to the blonde, leaning down a bit so they would be eye-level, hands on his hips. Edward seemed infinitely pissed off at the gesture, his hand drawing back as if to slap Envy, but stopping in mid-air, trembling.

"Alright" he growled, golden eyes narrowing. Envy liked the fire he saw in them; the Edward he remembered from two years ago, the one who stopped at nothing, the one who _risked himself to protect him_, was back. And he was all his.

Instead of slapping Envy, Edward chose to clap his hands and slam them down on the ground. Envy jumped high into the air as the spikes shot up towards him, and the other Homunculi watched in awe as the Sin did a series of backwards flips before landing on his feet and touching the wall behind him. A stone snake lunged at Edward, who easily avoided it with a graceful movement and transmuted one of the spikes into a sword, running at Envy, who hadn't expected the frontal attack and jumped onto the wall, only to have it transmuted into a cloud of dust. The Sin fell on his back on the ground, and a piece of stone dug painfully into his side. He couldn't see anything because of the dust floating in the air.

A gust of hot wind cleared his sight then, and Envy looked up just in time to see Edward's sword slashing at him. He transformed his arm into a blade and stopped the sword, snarling as he pushed Edward back forcefully. The blonde swung his arm, and the sword hit Envy's side, blood spilling everywhere from the wound. Envy fell back to the ground, gripping his side as it healed itself. He touched the ground, and two small snakes twirled themselves around Edward's ankles, effectively holding him in place as the Sin got up, smirking.

"Pretty tied up, aren't we, chibi-san?"

Edward frowned, clapping his hands in an automatic gesture, turning the sword in his hands into a hammer, which he used to free himself from the restraints. Envy yelped and ran off as the hammer was swung his way, barely missing his side.

"Careful with that thing, Ed!"

A wall appeared in front of Envy, and before he could turn around, a heavy metal leg connected with his back, sending him flying into the wall, which collapsed from his weight. Envy lied there, panting, his eyes closed tightly, as Edward approached him. The blonde frowned; the Sin looked worn out and pained. Perhaps he had gone a little too far with the training?

A flash of white teeth, and a second later Edward's sword flew across the air, narrowly missing Wrath as it hit the column behind him. The blonde Homunculus was pinned to the ground, Envy's much larger weight crushing him as the other Homunculus straddled him, grinning down at him innocently.

"Aw, is Envy too heavy for little Ed to push off?" the Sin mocked him, and Edward snarled, wrenching his hands free from Envy's grip so he could clap them and place them over his head. A fist erupted from the ground and hit Envy, throwing him off Edward and giving the blonde a chance to get up and lung at the fallen Homunculus. It all became a confusing wrestle from there, punches and kicks flying and red lighting flashing as wounds and bruises healed themselves.

Alphonse saw his brother kick Envy's side, and the Sin kicking his feet from under him in turn, making him fall back to the ground, and he knew they were taking it a little too far. There wasn't even alchemy involved anymore, and the point of the training had been completely lost.

But none of them, not the human nor the Homunculi, dared tell the couple to stop.

Envy pinned Edward again, this time using alchemy to create little snakes that cuffed his wrists to the ground, keeping his hands apart since the once alchemist apparently couldn't shed his habit of clapping his hands before transmuting, something that wasn't needed when you held a Philosopher's stone. The boy kicked out, struggling to free himself, and Envy snarled for him to stay put, gripping him by his black tank top and accidentally ripping it off.

The Sin froze as soon as his hands came into contact with hot sweaty skin. He looked down at Edward as if it were the first time he actually _looked _at him, taking in every detail he hadn't noticed while they fought. His ponytail was almost undone, blond bangs sticking out everywhere. His golden eyes were fiery and defiant, and his cheeks were flushed with the heat from both the battle and the merciless weather. He was panting slightly, his chest moving quickly up and down under Envy's trembling hands. The blonde narrowed his stunning eyes and tilted his head to the side, and the shapeshifter felt he could lose it right then and there. Heat rushed to his own cheeks, and he looked away, even though his eyes wanted desperately to go back to the beautiful, tantalizing sight under him.

_Why does he have to look… L-Like that?_

Edward blinked, his expression softening a little as he felt the change in his boyfriend's aura. He felt the Sin's anger melt away, replaced by something that, judging by his shaky hands, was akin to nervousness, but he couldn't understand the reason for such change. He was about to ask what was wrong, when Envy looked at him again, and he could recognize the dark light in those purple eyes easily.

"E-Ed…" Envy wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't organize the thoughts in his head, let alone put them into words or speak them up at all. His hands stroked Edward's chest without him noticing, and the sigh that escaped the blonde made him feel as if he were on fire, but in a much more pleasant way than he could remember from before his death. And at the same time, he felt terribly embarrassed for not being able to control himself and the raging feelings urging him to do _something _to the blonde under him.

Edward blinked again, recognition flickering in his eyes.

Envy realized Edward _knew_, and he panicked inwardly.

Edward smiled, and that did it.

"What… The hell?" Greed's jaw dropped, and Lust giggled at Alphonse's completely mortified expression as they watched Envy ravish the alchemist's elder brother with a passion they had never seen the shapeshifter show for anything else, expect maybe killing and creating general mayhem. Envy's mouth was glued to Edward's as the black-haired Homunculus' hands roamed across a creamy-colored torso, a thumb rubbing at the scar of the Automail surgery, making Edward gasp and squirm under him. The Sin's lips moved down to Edward's throat, and the once alchemist's legs came around Envy's hips, pressing them both together tightly. Surprised, Envy moaned loudly, and Edward realized the position they were in and released Envy, blushing even more than he was before, embarrassed at how easily he had been carried away by the Sin's raw passion.

"E-Envy…" he whispered, not daring to glance at his brother and the other Homunculi, but feeling their gazes on them. "Envy, everyone's looking at us…"

Envy looked at Edward up and down, biting his own lower lip, his right hand caressing Edward's side softly. He looked unsure as to what to do next. Edward smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to the black-haired one's lips.

"Don't worry, Envy, it's okay. But get off me, yeah?"

Envy seemed about to protest, but in the end he sighed and got up, offering Edward a hand to help him up as well. Edward held Envy's hand as they walked back to the group, Edward looking flustered and embarrassed, while Envy was still stunned at the intensity of what he had felt.

Lust gave him a smirk, and that was enough to freak him out.

"Well, now I see that you're not nice to each other only at night" Greed commented, interrupting the uncomfortable silence, and Wrath giggled.

"You two are adorable!"

"So…" Alphonse looked at his brother, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, and Edward blushed bright red. He hadn't wanted his little brother to see him like that… But he hadn't even remembered that the younger blonde was watching them when Envy started kissing him that way, as if it were the first and the last time. "Hum… Shall we continue the training?"

"Sure" Edward nodded, smiling sheepishly, his hand gripping Envy's. The Sin seemed to snap out of his trance, and he gave Edward a smug smirk.

"Yeah, let's fight again, O'chibi-san."

"…No. Just no."

* * *

Night fell far too soon for everyone's liking, and suddenly it was freezing and everyone ran into the first building they could find that was still kind of habitable. They were lucky enough to find a house with a basement that was the perfect shelter from the cold desert night. As Edward and Alphonse worked to light a fire, Envy looked around, counting the Homunculi present.

_Four… Five… Six… Wait, one's missing._

"Where's Wrath?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant and hide the nervousness that assaulted him. Lust looked up from the makeshift bed she was setting up in one corner and shrugged, although the frown on her face gave away her feelings, equal to Envy's.

"I don't know, Envy. I thought he was right here… Could you please go out and find him? It's not safe to be outside alone…"

Envy nodded, and was about to leave, when he felt a hand gripping his, tugging at him. He turned, and found Edward's worried eyes on his own.

"Let me go with you, Envy."

Envy tilted his head to the side, smiling. Just like the night the blonde found him standing alone in the rain, Edward was worried about him. He gently pried Edward's hand from his, not before giving it a kiss and a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry, Ed, you stay here where it's warm. I'll be fine."

Edward seemed to consider it for a few seconds, and then he took off his black coat and threw it over Envy's shoulders, kissing the Sin's cheek.

"Go. Come back soon."

"Okay."

"Take this one too" Alphonse handed Envy his red coat, smiling. "Give it to Wrath when you find him, he likes it a lot."

"Alright" Envy nodded before disappearing upstairs. He exited the abandoned house, shivering lightly as the cold air hit him. He wrapped Edward's coat tighter around himself, feeling almost high from the warmth it gave him, the warmth of Edward's body. Decided to go back to the blonde's arms as fast as he could, he started looking around the ruins for his missing brother.

He didn't have to look far, since Wrath was sitting on the roof of the house they were in, stargazing with a concentrated look in his childish face. Envy approached him quietly and sat beside him, legs hanging off the edge of the roof.

"Hey" the older Sin whispered, and Wrath merely acknowledged his presence with a nod and a small sound in his throat. Envy thought of asking if something was up, but decided to wait and wrapped Alphonse's coat around the smaller Homunculus instead. Wrath looked over his shoulder at the red fabric, and caressed it with the tips of his fingers, gently, muttering under his breath:

"Alphonse-chan…"

A thought struck Envy then, another déjà-vu, but he immediately dismissed it; besides, it wasn't something he'd say out loud, so it was no use. On the other hand, Wrath's blush and the way he said the blonde alchemist's name… It was all too familiar to the shapeshifter.

"Wrath, is there anything you want to talk about?"

Wrath snuggled into the coat's warmth, pulling his knees up to his chest, and shook his head frantically, but Envy knew better. Wrath was such a terrible liar, that he couldn't even speak. But the shapeshifter also knew better than to pressure someone into talking – he had been on the receiving end of such act, and damn, it was something he _would not _put his little brother through. He placed an arm around Wrath's shoulders, and the little Sin cuddled him, purple eyes downcast with a thoughtful, troubled expression.

"Nii-chan?" he whispered when about five minutes had passed, and both of them were starting to feel numb from the cold, despite their condition.

"Mh?" Envy had somewhat been expecting the boy to speak, so it didn't surprise him when Wrath looked up at him and asked, in a confidential, low voice:

"How did you realize you were in love with Edward-chan?"

Envy's blush made Wrath stifle a giggle. The older Sin bit into his lower lip, wishing the boy hadn't said anything at all, wishing he hadn't gone and asked him what was wrong, wishing he weren't there right then and there.

_Okay, Envy, breathe. Relax. It's only an innocent question, ne?_

He took a deep breath, the blush subsiding a little.

"Hum, well… First of all, I didn't realize it myself. He kinda helped me because I didn't understand what I was feeling."

One of the embarrassing facts was out, and Wrath hadn't laughed; the boy merely nodded, interested and curious. Good start. Envy scratched his head, feeling a bit of his blush returning as Wrath pressed, impatient as ever:

"Okay, how did he realize it then?"

Envy swallowed. _Remember, it's just an innocent question…_

"I told him how I felt, and he put two and two together, I guess…"

"And how did you feel? Tell me, nii-chan!"

"I'm _trying _to, but you won't let me. I felt… I thought about him a lot. Almost all the time. Everything reminded me of him."

"I see. What else?"

"Ugh, Wrath…! Well…" Envy looked down, blushing even more than before. "I-I always felt weird when he was around. You saw it, I kept acting like a complete idiot around him. I felt happy when he showed care for me, and I broke down if he didn't. And…" he stopped for a few seconds, but a pleading look from Wrath's eyes was enough encouragement to confess the one thing he really didn't want anyone to know. "When we fought the Virtues… Kindness lured me into a trap by posing as Edward, and when she told me she loved me and kissed me… While posing as Ed, I mean… It felt too good to be true" Envy finished with a small smile. Then, of course, he had found out it was a trap and that first kiss became something he truly wanted to forget about. But then had come Edward's real first kiss… And that was a memory Envy wished would last forever.

He was awoken from his thoughts by Wrath sighing and hiding his face into his hands in a defeated gesture, whimpering.

"Oh, no…"

"What's wrong?" Envy's arm tightened around the boy's shoulders, and Wrath wrapped his arms around Envy's waist, holding onto him as he shut his eyes tightly, his voice barely audible when he spoke:

"Envy, I think I'm in love too!"

A cricket emitted its loud chirring cry somewhere near them. A strong gust of chilly wind blew sand over the ruins. Envy held his little brother, surprised at the sudden confession, at the outburst, and at the same time realized it had been obvious from the moment they first set foot into the Elrics' residence.

"You like Al, don't you, Wrath?"

Wrath looked up at Envy again, a dark blush on his cheeks and eyes wide with panic.

"H-How did you know, nii-chan?"

"It's… Hum…" Envy scratched the back of his head. He tried to avoid letting Wrath know what he was thinking, but the boy guessed correctly from the look on his elder brother's face, and a whine escaped him.

"Don't tell me it's that obvious, nii-chan…!"

"Eh… Kinda" Envy smiled nervously, and then blinked in confusion as Wrath started sniffing softly. "B-But that isn't a bad thing, Wrath-chan!" he replied, trying to sound cheerful and encouraging as he patted his little brother's back. "It's better to show how you feel than to keep it all bottled in, ne? Don't you feel relieved?"

Wrath wiped his eyes and nodded sadly, looking down at the Ouroboros tattoo on Envy's thigh, poking at it absentmindedly. Envy ignored the uncomfortable tickling in favor of cheering his sibling up.

"Do you think Alphonse-chan likes me back, nii-chan?"

"I can't know, can I? I can ask Ed if you want, but I don't think he knows either…"

"You can't tell him, nii-chan, he'll tell Alphonse-chan! Please, promise me you'll never talk about this to anyone! Greed less than anyone!"

Envy looked down into Wrath's eyes. There was a childish obstinate shadow in them, a determination only an innocent one like him could have; but there was also fear, the same fear Envy recognized having felt, the fear of rejection and unreturned feelings. Wrath had understood it before himself, how much rejection could hurt. He hadn't needed to experience it like Envy had.

Envy's hand grabbed Wrath, shaking it, gripping it in the way friends do.

"Don't worry" he smiled. "I won't tell."

"Thank you… Nii-chan."

* * *

**Author's note: **so yeah, that's pretty much about it. Next chapter isn't finished yet - perhaps that's why I was so reluctant about posting this one? - so you will all have to wait a bit. Hope you're still with me? No?

**Next chapter: **Hissy fits, drama and religious implications. Just your typical Raven idea.


	10. The monster, captured

**Author's note: **I'll post chapter 10 since I'm taking a small break and writing some other stuff. Don't worry, though, TOS is still ongoing and I plan to finish it. It's just that the process is being a little slower than usual! Hope you will enjoy this chapter, though; surprisingly, the plot thickens. Or something.

**Warnings: **hum... Stuff pulled out of my ass just to justify the plot? Fear the oncoming angst!

* * *

**The Ouroboros Sign**

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction by Raven_

Chapter 10 – _The monster, captured_

Alphonse left a week later. He went to Youswell on his own, since the Sins wanted to keep a low profile. Edward had protested, but he couldn't risk being seen when he was supposed to be abroad; he didn't want to raise any suspicion, since if anyone asked Winry, everything would become very difficult. The two brothers stood outside the ruins as the run raised slowly in the horizon, lighting up the ruins with a golden glint.

"Please take care" Edward begged, placing both hands on his brother's shoulders despite the younger blonde being taller than him. "Please, Al… I…"

"I know" Alphonse placed one hand atop his brother's right one, entwining their fingers, gripping tightly. There was no need for further explanation; what Edward had wanted to say was very clear for them both. _I don't want to lose you again. I'll wake up and not see you and I'll be scared that you're gone again. Please still be there when we meet again._

"Good luck" Edward said, holding his hand out. Alphonse looked at it, then into his brother's eyes, and a sudden melancholy overcame him. His arms encircled the older teen's shoulders firmly, pulling a bewildered Edward close. The elder brother blinked a few times, before smiling and hugging his little brother back. Everything they'd never put into words, everything they didn't need to say, because it had been shown over the years, time and time again, much clearer than any word they could blurt out, everything was put into that shameless, fraternal embrace.

_I love you, brother._

And then Alphonse pulled away and held his hand out, and Edward shook it with a grin and waved as his brother walked off, red coat shifting with the morning breeze, a glint of silver in the distance as the alchemist checked the pocket watch. And when Alphonse finally disappeared, Edward lowered his arm, the grin disappearing and an empty expression fixing itself on his features. Alphonse was gone… Off to lie for him and live without him, off to fight on a different plane against the menace that once again loomed over – or maybe lurked under – Amestris.

On his own. Edward sighed.

"Looking dejected, aren't we, chibi-san? Ne?"

Strong arms hugged Edward's waist from behind, and he snuggled into the embrace, closing his eyes, tilting his head back to rest it on a muscular shoulder.

"I'm scared for him…"

Envy made an undefined gesture with his mouth and shrugged lightly, nipping at Edward's tempting exposed neck.

"He can take care of himself. We gotta focus on the training."

"Mh."

"I love you, you know that?"

Edward turned his head so he could look at Envy, the lazy peaceful smile that the Sin loved curving his lips softly.

"I love you too."

The Homunculi stayed hidden in the ruins for another two weeks, training and sorting out what their next movements would be. They couldn't blindly look for Father and the Virtues across Amestris, because that would be calling for trouble. But the longer they spent in the safety and calm of Xerxes, away from everything, the more stressed and worried Edward became. Envy could understand him, or at least he tried to: Amestris was his country, his homeland, and the place where his little brother was currently living, all on his own. But that didn't stop him from feeling hurt and storming off whenever the blonde took his frustrations out on him.

The shapeshifter was surprised at his own sensitivity; he had always been rather short-tempered and easy to annoy, but with Edward, the smallest things set him off like a rocket. Since the blonde was always too stubborn and prideful to apologize, every little fight led to days ignoring each other. And Envy could barely stand being around the blond Homunculus and not talking to him, hugging him, touching him in any way he could. Frustrations built up, things went unsaid.

If Envy had known love could hurt so much, he would've killed himself again and stayed dead before becoming so addicted to Edward's eyes.

As their fourth week at the ruins started – and the couple set their newest record, four days without as much as looking at each other – Envy found Edward sitting on a rooftop, one leg bent and the other hanging off the edge, the warm sunset breeze playing with his fringe and his ponytail as it warned them about the quickly dropping temperature. His golden eyes, half-lidded, were set on the horizon, where the sun was setting. Amestris was in that direction.

Envy fidgeted nervously. Edward hadn't apologized, but Envy couldn't stand not talking to the other Homunculus anymore, so he approached the boy and cleared his throat, trying to catch his attention. Edward blinked, acknowledging his presence with a small 'hm'.

"Ed" Envy said, softly, as if afraid the blonde would ignore him and humiliate him even further. "Hum… W-Would you like to go in? We've already set the fire…"

"You don't have to do this, Envy."

Envy blinked in confusion, tilting his head to the side as the boy in front of him looked down, biting his lower lip nervously.

"What…?"

"I've been an asshole to you. You don't have to talk to me."

Envy's eyes widened, and he looked away, a strong blush lighting up his cheeks.

"If you want me to, I'll leave."

Edward pressed a hand to his forehead, groaning in frustration.

"Ugh, no! I didn't mean it like that! Could you stop it?"

"Stop what?" Envy frowned, his tone and his pose defensive. Edward glared at him over his shoulder, golden eyes blazing, and Envy hated the desire that coursed through him. _Traitorous body!_

"This! Approaching me just to run away again! If I'm so cranky that you can't stand being around me, why are you here now, huh?"

"Excuse me for trying to talk again after you've ignored me for days!"

"_I've _ignored you? _You've _ignored me!"

"Only because _you _were ignoring me!"

"Oh, c'mon!" Edward got up, turning around to fully face Envy, tucking a stray lock of golden hair behind his ear angrily. Envy despised him; he was too beautiful, framed by the setting sun, as if he were ablaze. How was he supposed to argue with someone who took his breath away merely by standing in front of him? "You know I'm sorry! You know I don't mean to snap! God, Envy, you _know _why I'm acting this way! Why can't you try and be less selfish?"

"Selfish? And you taking it out on me isn't selfish?"

"You're supposed to support me, damn you!" Edward closed his eyes, bowing his head, fists tightening at his sides. Envy was surprised to see he was trembling, as if he were about to cry; however, no tears were shed, although Edward's voice sounded a little broken as he whispered: "I hoped you'd help me… B-But you only make it all worse…!"

"How can I help you if you keep pushing me away, Fullmetal?"

"Why don't you try to understand a little more? I made the effort for you! You said you wouldn't forget!"

Silence fell. Edward opened his eyes. Golden clashed with purple.

Envy grimaced, frowning.

"It's not my fault. You decided to help me. I didn't want you to."

"If you don't care, then leave me alone" Edward's eyes narrowed, and Envy looked away, because he knew that if he looked into those eyes a second later, he'd break. And he wouldn't give Edward the pleasure of seeing him beg. The shapeshifter turned around and jumped off the roof, dusting himself off and walking away in a random direction.

Edward sat back down, and angrily wiped the tears from his cheeks. Envy didn't understand.

Maybe humans and Homunculi weren't that compatible.

…But he loved Envy like he'd never loved before.

"I'll talk to him when he gets back" he told himself with a small smile, hugging his knees to his chest. "We'll pull through. We love each other."

* * *

Envy ran. He took advantage of his discovery from some weeks ago and unleashed his giant form. His tail slammed angrily into dunes as he kicked up sand, escaping the ruins and the one he loved to the point it was painful. He knew it was stupid, he knew that once he was back, they'd make up – and make out – and everything would be happy again. And then they'd argue, and apologize, and break up and get back together. And despite his earlier words, and despite how he was running away now, he knew he wouldn't have it any other way.

_Anything to hold him again. Anything to look into those eyes a little longer. I don't care how much I have to fight. He's mine._

He stopped as soon as Youswell came into view, and he was about to turn back, when a shining in the distance caught his attention. The monster stood on top of a dune, tail wagging softly, big eyes narrowing. The wind played with his hair as he tried to figure out what that red light could be. Was it fire in the town? Were those voices? What was going on?

A bad feeling stuck him, and a second later, the black-haired, green-eyed girl that had stood outside Edward Elric's house during that rainy night was running towards the town, this time dressed in thick winter clothing. Envy didn't make the same mistake twice.

He found the source of the strange shining rather quickly; a huge crowd had gathered around a big fire in the center of a square. A man stood on a platform in front of the people, gesturing wildly and apparently yelling at the top of his lungs. Envy approached the group slowly, so as not to attract any unwanted attention, and as he stood between an elderly woman and a group of young men, he was finally able to catch what the man on the platform – some kind of preacher, it seemed – was saying:

"…Finally arrived! We must fight the Sin so this country might be saved from the flames of Hell! Heed these words: the Angel came to me and told me to fight the Sin!"

Envy raised an eyebrow; the bad feeling increased in the pit of his stomach, but the preacher's words only sounded like a load of rubbish for him. Humans and their stupid religions; he was glad Edward was a self-proclaimed atheist, because he wasn't willing to put up with their stupid fearful rituals. He yawned openly – in a not very feminine way – and the elderly woman beside him let out a disapproving huff.

"The Sin disguises itself as humans, so you must beware!" the preacher roared, and some people stepped back. "People with red eyes and black hair! People with skin cold as ice! They will try to deceive us into believing their intentions are pure, but they're embodiments of evil!"

Envy blinked, placing a hand on his chest without even noticing. That sounded… But it couldn't be… Yet it sounded so much like…

Like _them_.

"Such horrible creatures" the elderly woman beside him commented, leaning in towards him, as if to make the conversation more intimate – taking it for granted that Envy cared about what she was saying. The Homunculus in disguise nodded softly, his mind reeling too fast for him to react in any other way.

Maybe it wasn't what he was thinking; maybe he was mistaken, but he started feeling paranoid as soon as the idea occurred to him. He noticed the determined faces all around him, some of the people carrying torches or pitchforks, children crying as they clung to their mothers' dresses.

"All of them carry the red mark!" the preacher went on with his rant. He didn't seem to care whether people were listening or not anymore. He was frenzied, in a trance. "The Ouroboros sign!"

Envy's free hand flew to his left thigh, as if wanting to cover the mark that wasn't actually there. He tended to forget he was in disguise, and even after remembering that fact, he didn't remove his hand. The red Ouroboros sign… The Sins… And torches and pitchforks. It was the perfect moment to run for the hills; or the dunes, for that matter. As the preacher went on describing the Sins' powers – regeneration, inhuman resistance, strength and speed, alchemy - he started to back away slowly, trying to get away as stealthily as he had arrived.

He didn't see the pitchfork someone had dropped behind him, and when he tripped and fell backwards with a small yelp, he didn't think it would attract that much attention. Nor did he realize why eyes widened and mouths fell open all of sudden around him when a small cut in his arm healed itself quickly, with a crack of red lightning.

And then it fell upon him. _Humans don't regenerate, idiot!_

The preacher, with his loud booming voice, was the one to say out loud what everyone was thinking.

"She's one of them! A Sin in disguise! Get her! GET HER!"

Envy felt strangely dazed; he sat on the ground and watched, confused, as torches were lit and pitchforks were raised, as angry screams of "Sin! Monster!" filled the air and the crowd started advancing on him.

The sight of the fire triggered the panic, and suddenly he was running, screaming frantically, avoiding the fanatics trying to catch him. He could see flames everywhere, lit torches brushing his clothes, his hair, his arms; and a fear he could only remember feeling once, when he was about to die, took over him. He thought of unleashing his giant form and crushing the entire town, but as he was about to carry out that idea, he heard the preacher screaming:

"Find it! It can't have gotten that far! Search the entire town! The desert! The ruins!"

Envy's eyes widened.

_The ruins?_

He practically welcomed the familiar feeling of the Philosopher's stone pulsing wildly inside his chest, and the irrationality that brought along. He enjoyed the blindness of fear, the stupidity that came with terror, the blissful oblivion of unbearable stress. Everything was game when one was so desperate.

The humans with the torches wanted to search the ruins!

_My family…!_

He didn't stop to think of how quickly the term _family _had come to his mind. He didn't try to remind himself that his _family _were in fact six fully-developed Homunculi that most likely could defend themselves against a bunch of pathetic humans. He didn't _think _at all; he merely jumped out of the alleyway he was hiding in and transformed into his real form before the shocked eyes of a group of people with torches.

_I won't let them get close to the ruins._

A smirk. A flick of greenish black hair. Hands on curvy, androgynous hips.

"Aww, just look at you, humans!" Envy chuckled, his tone teasing and playful. "You look as if you were just chasing after some monster, ne? Why don't you let Envy help you?" he licked his lips, his smirk becoming more devious, and his eyes glistening dangerously. "Envy likes to play…"

A man took a step back and dropped his pitchfork, while another raised a torch, fire reflecting in Envy's purple eyes. The Sin snarled softly; he had just decided he didn't like fire too much.

"Put that away" he warned, but it went unheard as more people ran towards the small crowd gathering in front of Envy. The Sin stood straight, proud, a slight breeze playing with his hair and his loincloth. A woman caught glimpse of the Ouroboros tattoo on Envy's thigh and screamed.

"M-Monster…!"

"Ne, that's not a very nice thing to say!" Envy pouted, although it was obviously playful. He didn't feel pain at being called a monster; he didn't mind it when it was a stupid, panicked human. "And here I am trying to be nice to you!"

A pitchfork flew his way, and Envy stepped aside with a yelp, frowning.

"Hey, will you stop that? You could've hit me!"

Suddenly, the stone in Envy's chest started to pulse again, violently. Envy felt his mouth go dry and he swallowed thickly, gazing over his shoulder to see the preacher from before standing behind him. From his neck hung a chain with a blue stone, which shimmered under the lights from the torches. Envy's eyes narrowed. It looked so much like… But it couldn't be…

Philosopher's stones were red, right?

The preacher stepped closer, and the pulsing in Envy's chest became almost painful. He felt his knees buckle a bit under him, but his defiant glare didn't waver, even though fear was slowly spreading to his limbs, making his hands tremble. What was going on?

The preacher stepped closer, grabbing the blue stone and holding it out towards Envy, and the Sin's legs finally gave out.

* * *

"Wrath…"

Wrath turned around, still toying with the necklace he had borrowed from Envy earlier that day. Edward's golden eyes immediately went to the green snake around his neck and stayed fixed on it, the red light from the Philosopher's stone reflecting in the Homunculus' golden eyes. Wrath blinked, confused.

"Hum, Edward-chan… Did you want something?"

"Oh, yeah…" Edward looked up, apparently a little distracted and absent. "Hum… Have you seen Envy? He's been gone for a few hours now…"

Wrath looked around, as if expecting his missing sibling to come out of an alleyway at any moment.

"Hum… No, I haven't… Last time I saw him was before he went to talk to you on the roof… What happened?" the little Sin frowned suspiciously, and Edward felt a drop of sweat rolling down his temple. Caught.

"Hum… W-Well… We kinda had an argument…"

"Edward-chan…!"

"I didn't mean to upset him that much, and he made me feel like crap, too!"

Wrath put a hand to his forehead, sighing and shaking his head, and Edward smiled knowingly.

"Heh, you remind me of Al, Wrath."

Wrath blushed, glaring at Edward from under his hand.

"Don't try to sweet talk me now, Edward-chan. I'm mad at both of you."

"Al and me?"

"Envy-chan and you!"

"Oh…" Edward looked down, smiling sheepishly, and Wrath placed his hands on his hips, in a way that reminded the blonde of Envy.

"Seriously, you guys are supposed to be in love, and yet all you do is fight! If that's how it is, I'll never tell my love how I feel."

"Your love?" Edward raised both eyebrows at that, and Wrath looked away, blushing even more.

"Yeah, there's someone I like. But like hell I'm telling you!" the little Sin crossed his arms, nodding, looking satisfied with his resolve. "And about nii-chan, don't worry, he'll come back when he cools off. Just try not to upset him any further when he does, yeah?"

"Alright" Edward smiled, nodding. "I didn't mean to, it's just… I'm nervous."

"Okay. But don't take it out on him, alright? I'll talk to him when he gets back, too, so he stops being an emotional wreck."

"Thanks."

The two of them stayed silent for a few minutes, enjoying the soft, cool breeze. It was that cold out yet, but it would be soon. Wrath offered a hand to Edward, and the blonde blinked, looking at the other Homunculus insecurely.

"C'mon" Wrath grinned. "We'll set the fire inside, yes?"

After a few seconds, Edward smiled and took the outstretched hand.

"So, you're not mad at me anymore?"

"Don't push it, Fullmetal-chan!"

"If you forgive me, I'll get Al to ask you out."

"S-Shut up, Edward-chan!"

"Maybe once this is all over, we can all go out together" Edward smiled thoughtfully. "You know, the four of us. Me, Envy, Al and you."

Wrath stopped and turned to him. There was a dead serious look in his purple eyes, and suddenly Edward realized two things he hadn't noticed before.

One; despite how young Wrath looked, the Homunculus was obviously no kid. And the more he got to knew him, the more the volatile Sin struck him as a rebellious teenager, rather than the innocent child he looked like.

Two; Wrath looked a lot like Envy when he got serious.

"That a promise?" Wrath asked, defiantly, and Edward nodded.

"Sure. Just the four of us."

Wrath stared at him for a few more seconds before turning around with an annoyed huff.

"Just try not to break up with nii-chan before that happens. You promised me!"

Edward chuckled, following after the smaller Homunculus.

"I know, I know. I won't."

* * *

When Envy regained consciousness, the moon was high in the blue sky above him, and he was freezing. His body felt sore in various places, and he couldn't move his arms or legs. He was completely tied up, chained to a post on the same platform the preacher had been standing on while talking about the Sins. The chain around his naked waist felt rough, cold and hard, and it was a little too tight. His feet were tied together with rope, while his hands were held in front of him by a thick chain, from which the blue stone dangled, shimmering and making the stone in his chest pulse weakly.

He didn't even think of trying to free himself. He was a hundred percent sure that it wouldn't work, and that he'd only succeed in making a fool of himself. And he wouldn't give his captors that pleasure.

So the blue stone did something to his Philosopher's stone – much like the Virtues had, though even stronger. Envy felt weak, and judging by the cuts and bruises covering his legs and shoulders, he obviously wasn't healing. Also, his chest hurt and he felt lightheaded and dizzy. He rested his head back against the post he was tied to, closing his eyes, trying to suppress the horrible feeling of something warm crawling up his throat – he guessed it was nausea.

_Okay, let's rewind. How the fuck did I end up in this situation in the first place?_

First it had been the argument with Edward. Such a stupid issue. He should've just left the blonde alone, given him some space or simply held him until he calmed down, perhaps told him something comforting, or joked about something to lighten the mood. Or something else. Hell if he knew how to distract the blonde!

Then, running away from the ruins. Why the hell had he done that? Idiotic decision if there had been one. The ruins were safe. The rest _wasn't_.

Third, checking out the stupid red light coming from the town. So what if it had been on fire? The humans could all burn to death – and he suppressed a shudder at the thought. _The humans, not me, them! _– for all he cared! But curiosity killed the lizard, he guessed.

Speaking of which, if the power from his stone kept being drained, he knew he would eventually switch back to his tiny parasitic form, and he _didn't _want that humiliating thing to happen again.

Fourth, and the one decision he couldn't get himself to regret: stopping the humans from searching the ruins. Yeah, the other Homunculi could handle it; dammit, he himself could handle them on his own! But he had seen the angry faces and the sharp metal and fire, fire, fire, and he didn't want to imagine what could've happened if, by chance, the Homunculi lost to those humans – which they probably could've, if the little bastards had more of those blue stones.

The blue stone. Envy looked hopelessly down at his bound wrists. He was powerless.

_Ed…_

"Pride…" he sighed. He heard footsteps coming his way and looked up to find the preacher looking down at him. He was truly a disgusting man, with a big round belly, thin legs, a dirty beard and a shimmering bald head. His eyes were hidden behind small, comical glasses that reflected the light from the torches that were placed around Envy. The fire was unnerving the Sin to no end; he could clearly imagine one of those torches falling over, setting the whole wooden platform on fire… Burning him along with it, in his weakened state… The searing pain and, this time, without Edward to protect him from the vengeful flames…

He shook his head just as the preacher spoke, and when Envy's eyes fell on him again, he could see the man was holding another small torch. The Sin growled. He hated fire, dammit!

"Where are the other Sins?" the preacher asked unceremoniously, and Envy had the feeling that, before going nuts, the man had been a drunk and a generally disgusting, impolite person. The Sin tried to compose an inexpressive face, which was made easier by the fact that he was tired and demoralized beyond belief.

"I don't know" he lied. "I had a fight with my lover some time ago, and I haven't seen them since" he half-lied this time. His tone was flawless, his face showing pure nothingness. The preacher swallowed it all, but still didn't look convinced.

"So there's not any more of you around?"

Envy shook his head convincingly.

"No. I came from the ruins, there was no one there."

The preacher seemed visibly relaxed at the perspective of not having to search the desert or the ruins for the other Sins; perhaps that was why he believed Envy. He actually wanted to believe that. Envy rolled his eyes mentally; humans were so foolish.

"We should kill him now!" a male voice called suddenly, and the preacher turned around to address the other man.

"Oh, no!" a woman's voice screamed then. "Let the military handle this! We have to let the Fuhrer know about this!"

"That bastard doesn't care!" another woman countered, and Envy saw a flicker of fire behind the preacher. Dammit, why fucking fire? "Let's get this over with!"

"I agree with Mary, we have to inform the authorities" the preacher nodded, and everyone fell silent. The fire disappeared from Envy's sight. "Once someone from the military arrives, we'll decide on what to do. We wouldn't want the Fuhrer to turn against us by thinking we're doing stuff behind his back, right?"

"Right."

"Agreed."

The preacher shot Envy one last vicious glare before spitting next to his feet and descending from the platform, leaving the Sin tied up there, exposed to the cold, the merciless wind and the starry sky, to which the Homunculus' eyes turned, a hopeless expression on his face.

"If I were human, I'd believe there's a way out of this" he commented, smiling tiredly, closing his eyes. "Right, Edward?"

* * *

**To be continued **sometime soon, I hope! Thank you to everyone who read and supported this story, I hope I won't disappoint you!


End file.
